You must be surprised to know that after winning consecutive titles of Champions Trophy in 2006 & 2009, Australia have not won a game in the preceding editions in 2013 & 2017. They have not been helped by weather either as few of their matches could not reach the result.
And the things are looking bleak for the Aussies in the third straight edition of the Championship, this time due to many injury concerns and sudden retirement of Marcus Stoinis. Their talismanic trio of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood is set to miss the tournament which means the inexperienced pace attack for the Aussies in the mega event.
Mitchell Marsh’s ouster means they have to either resort to under-fire Matthew Short or any other new name to partner Travis Head at the top. Not to forget, Australia will miss the big service of David Warner at the top as the southpaw has retired from International duties.
Australia will enter the tournament to add yet another ICC trophy to their cabinet. Can the Aussies group up firmly to produce a good enough run in the tournament or will their lean patch in the Champions Trophy continue? Let’s have a look at their chances!
Australia Squad for the tournament-
Travis Head, Matthew Short, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith (C), Glen Maxwell, Jake Fraser McGurk, Aaron Hardie, Alex Carey (WK), Josh Inglis (WK), Sean Abbott, Nathan Ellis, Tanveer Sangha, Ben Dwarshius, Adam Zampa, Spencer Johnson
Strength-
Travis Head has the ability to kill the game straight away with his aggressive batting in the powerplay which will be crucial to Australia’s chances in the tournament. Apart from it, Glenn Maxwell has always been someone who is known to lift his game on big occasions and his recent form in the BBL is a good sign for the Aussies.
The sturdy pair of Marnus Labuschagne and Steven Smith may prove to be significant in the middle overs against spinners.
Weakness-
Biggest and glaring weakness is the absence of too many regular players. The pace trio of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood would have been the biggest strength for the Kangaroos, and their absence is something irreplaceable for sure.
In the last couple of years in ODI cricket, their batting has revolved around Travis Head, David Warner and Mitchell Marsh. The unavailability of David Warner and Mitchell Marsh will put more burden on Travis Head which may cause the flamboyant southpaw to change his approach with the bat in hand.
Recently, Australia has tried Matthew Short for the vacant opening slot after David Warner, which has been a failed attempt so far with Short garnering mediocre numbers so far. Jake Fraser McGurk who came as the replacement of Mitchell Marsh has found himself in all sorts of troubles in International Cricket. So, Australia will have a tough time settling for the partner of Travis Head at the top.
Who and when Australia will face in the tournament-
Australia is slated with South Africa, England and Afghanistan in Group B. They will start their tournament on 22nd Feb against the arch rivals England in Lahore. South Africa will be up against the Aussies on 25th in Rawalpindi before Australia return to Lahore to play Afghanistan on 28th February.
Australia’s probable playing XI for the start-
- Travis Head
- Matthew Short
- Marnus Labuschagne
- Steven Smith (C)
- Glenn Maxwell
- Aaron Hardie
- Alex Carey (WK)
- Sean Abott
- Spencer Johnson
- Adam Zampa
- Nathan Elliss
Australia chances in the tournament-
Talking about the group stage, Australia may find it a little easier to start against England as the latter have not been a threatening side in white ball cricket in recent times. But South Africa is expected to pose a difficult challenge for them, and Afghanistan, as everyone knows, have troubled the Aussies in ICC events off late. So, Australia will have to overcome the hard challenge if they want to reach the top four.
