World Cup 2015: Probable Australia XI

Australia have won the 50-over World Cup more times than any other nation, and look well-placed to add to their collection of World Cup trophies, come the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand next year.First of all, they enjoy a distinct advantage with the World Cup being held on home soil. They know the conditions better than any other team and can be unstoppable once they get on a roll on their backyard, as England have recently found out. They are the No. 1 ODI team according to the ICC rankings and will look to justify their ranking with a World Cup victory next year.They also have a good mix of youth and experience, apart fromcontaining a fair share of explosive batsmen and wicket-taking bowlers, which should hold them in good stead. The main reason they came unstuck in the recently concluded T20 World Cup in Bangladesh was due to a lack of quality in the spin department, but with the conditions on offer in Australia and New Zealand largely favouring the pace bowlers, the shortage of spin options should not be a problem.In addition to the above factors, they enjoy the support of the Australian fans, which shouldnt be underestimated. The Australian cricket fans, especially when their team is doing well, areas raucous and partisan as any crowd, and the same can be expected from them next year, provided, of course, that the Australians are faring well.Here is my Australian starting XI for the 2015 50-over Cricket World Cup:

#1 David Warner

David Warner has been Australias best player across all formats over the last year and can be expected to line-up along with Aaron Finch at the top of the order. He, alongside Finch, gives Australia a different dimension with explosive starts against two new white balls, and you can rest assured that if he gets going, very few bowlers have the wherewithal to stop him. He is also lightning quick in the field, regularly saving 10-15 runs every game and pouching just about every catch that comes his way, making him a certainty in the World Cup playing XI.

#2 Aaron Finch

Aaron Finch has come on leaps and bounds with the bat over the last 18 months or so. He has established himself as one of the two Australian openers in the shorter formats of the game through sheer weight of performance, and in the process dismantled Shane Watson from the opening slot, going to show the high regard he is held in by the Australian management.

#3 Shane Watson

Shane Watson, the cricketer, has always polarized opinion among the Australian public. Despite debuting for Australia well over a decade back, he has been unable to establish himself as one of the all-time Australian greats, which for a cricketer of his ability is a massive underachievement. Admittedly, injuries have hampered his career, but notwithstanding those injuries, you would have expected him to do more than he has managed. Having said all that, he is still very much capable of turning a match in Australias favour with both bat and ball, which is why Australia wont be able to do without him.

#4 Michael Clarke (c)

Michael Clarke is a great Test batsman without a shadow of doubt but is yet to translate his Test success into ODI cricket. He has, perhaps, never given as much importance to ODI cricket as to Test cricket, but he will be determined to lift the World Cup trophy on home soil. He complements the plethora of power players at Australias disposal with his ability to stroke the ball into gaps and can be expected to play the role of a finisher, similar to Michael Bevan in the Australian ODI teams of the late 1990s and early 2000s.

#5 Glenn Maxwell

Glenn Maxwell lit the 2014 Indian Premier League on fire with Kings XI Punjab but is yet to do so for his national team, Australia, on a consistent basis. Perhaps, his see-ball-hit-ball batting approach means that there will always be inconsistency in his game, but Darren Lehmann, the Australian coach, wont mind someinconsistency if he can win a game or two in the World Cup single-handedly. He is also a dynamic fielder and can chip in with a few useful overs with the ball, making him an all-round package.

#6 George Bailey

George Bailey is a calm head under pressure and will fill in as captain in case Clarkes back problems make a return. His batting is often underestimated, but he had an excellent 2013 with the bat in ODI cricket and should make the XI for the World Cup next year, unless theres a drastic loss of form.

#7 Brad Haddin (wk)

The Australian teams resurgence to the top of the tree in world cricket kickedoff as soon as Brad Haddin was called back into the Australian team, and that is no surprise considering his innate cricketing ability. Haddin is one of the senior members of the current Australian team and his experience of dealing with pressure and expectation can prove invaluable to some of the younger members of the Australian set-up, who will be participating in their first 50-over World Cup.

#8 James Faulkner

James Faulkner is developing into an outstanding all-rounder for Australia, and his presence in the team, along with Watson, provides the team tremendous balance, in turn, making them the envy of other teams.

#9 Mitchell Johnson

Mitchell Johnsons latest Ashes series has become the stuff of legend, but one shouldnt forget that his comeback into form started with the ODI series against England in England in 2013. He has terrorized a lot of batsmen in Test cricket of late with his raw pace, as quite a few of the Englishmen will testify, but he can be equally lethal in one-day cricket, especially when conditions suit.

#10 Pat Cummins

Pat Cummins might be a surprise pick but if he can get himself fit by the time the 2015 World Cup starts, he could well be Australias X-factor. He is as quick as Mitchell Johnson, if not quicker and also possesses a cunning slower ball which has the potential to confound the best batsmen in the world. Injuries have curtailed his fledgling career so far and prevented him from making a real impact, but it shouldnt take too long before his menace as a fast bowler reaches international batsmens doorsteps.

#11 James Muirhead

James Muirhead hasnt done much, as yet, neither in international cricket nor first-class cricket, but it wouldnt be a surprise if he is fast-tracked into the ODI team sooner rather than later. The Australians have been crying out for a quality leg-spinner in their ranks for some time now, and he might just be the man to answer their call.