Mitchel Marsh Comes to the Fore as Aussie Captain for the T20 World Cup

DR Cricket looks at the composition of the recently announced 15-member Australian team for T20 World Cup, led by a very talented allrounder, Mitchel Marsh.

If there is one team that is always listed among the favourites to win a cricket World Cup, be it the 20-over shorter format or the longer 50-over one, it is the Aussies. It doesn’t matter which part of the world serves as the venue. The Australians always come prepared. And if the preparations, somehow, fell short of the mark, they adapt quickly, always thinking on their feet as a unit.

Cricket Australia has named a formidable side for the coming T20 World Cup. These are battle hardened men, save for Nathan Ellis – the Tasmanian quickie who despite having a T20 hat-trick under his belt, is unlikely to make it in the playing eleven. They are the veterans of many world cups. Stoic in defence and merciless in attack.

Here is how the battle formation of the Kangaroos looks like in the Caribbean and the USA when they take on the world for the highest prize in the T20 format:

The vanguard is led by two of the most destructive southpaws in the business, Head and Warner.

Travis Head has already proved his mettle in the 50-over format when he scored a match winning 137 in the World Cup final at a jam-packed Narendra Modi stadium, Ahmedabad, to break a hundred thousand Indian hearts. It was an innings that confirmed his coming of age when he partnered with Marnus Labuschagne to pull his team out of the trouble waters and into a position of respectability, which eventually won his team the cup. He has taken to T20 format like a duckling to water, something that is evident by a strike rate of 147. His most recent feat is the fourth fastest IPL century which endorsed his destructive prowess.

As for David Warner, who can ever doubt him. He might be getting on in years, but, on his day, he is still as destructive as anyone in the business. He has the strike rate of 143 in T20 cricket to back his claim. Moreover, the pitches in the Caribbean, where Australia will play its group B matches, are not likely to misbehave. Swing is the only thing that seems to have put doubt in his free-thinking mind.

Mitchelle Marsh, bison to his mates, is most likely to bat at number three. That is, if he himself doesn’t think otherwise after being confirmed as the captain of Australian World Cup side. Not likely though, as he doesn’t appear to the type who waits and frets in the change room. He would want to continue the success that he has had batting at number three in the limited over games.

Presently, the Western Australian allrounder is nursing a hamstring injury that had cut short his IPL tournament. Recently, speaking to reporters at his hometown, Perth, he hoped to “be on the plane, ready to go.” Not only is he a top-notch batter, but he is also a decent enough seamer who is in possession of a lovely outswinger. Baber Azam would vouch for that as one such perfect delivery accounted for the master batter in the first test in Australia.

The middle holds all the cannons. It is led by Glenn Maxwell who batted himself into the white ball folklore with his masterclass in Mumbai when he hit 201 runs in 128 balls to singlehandedly drag Australia to victory against Afghanistan. Few would argue that it was the best-ever limited over innings, given the stage (the World Cup), the conditions (swing and spin under the night sky) and the physical state of the man (cramps that rendered his legs like two slabs of concrete).

There isn’t a better finisher of a white ball game than this 35-year-old Victorian. To go with his obvious batting skills are his ability to ball more-than-useful off spin.
Alongside him, are other pieces of artillery to choose from in the form of Tim David, Marcus Stoinis and Cameroon Green. Which among them will make the playing eleven will largely depend upon the form of the players and the conditions of the ground. Whatever the choice, the grounds in the Caribbeans are not big enough for any one of them. The strength of the Aussie middle order can be gauged from the fact that they have opted to leave out a prolific batter like Steve Smith. Obviously, a career strike rate of 128 in T20 was deemed not fast enough.

They are followed by two very astute wicket keeper batters, Josh Inglis who nudged Alex Carey out of the ODI team and Mathew Wade. Both are very skillful batters with Inglis having an edge behind the stumps.

The rearguard has been through many a battle. The trio of Starc, Cummins and Hazelwood are like a pack of wolves who are quick to smell blood. They have among them an alpha male in the form of Pat Cummins – also named as Wisden’s Leading Cricketer in the World (Men) – who invariable takes upon himself the role of enforcer. These all-format veterans know how to trap the prey, when to stay the course and when to pounce for the jugular. They are always conspiring against the opponent, passing notes, pointing weaknesses and helping each other bring the batters down.

In tow are Zampa and Agar, the right arm wrist spinner and the left arm finger spinner. Zampa though holds the key. When Zampa has a good day, the Australians are nearly unbeatable. He doesn’t spin a great deal but reads the conditions well and cleverly disguises his googlies. The slow and spongy West Indian pitches are very likely to suit him.

When Australians charge the field of Kensington Oval, Barbados against the minnows Oman, on June 6th, nearly a month from now, they will be led by a new captain in a brand-new uniform. Collarless and predominantly green with some patches of gold around the nape and the ribs. It will be formidable side that the Persian Gulf team would face. They would do exceedingly well to avoid being trampled over.

Australian Squad: Mitch Marsh (c), Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa.