Hyderabad: Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur feels the in-form Australian teams are among favourites to lift the ICC World Cup 2019, which will be held in England and Wales cricket starting May 30.
After a horrendous last year following the ball-tampering scandal in March 2018, which rocked world cricket, the Aussie team has started the year 2019 on a positive note.
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Aaron Finch-led Australia first blanked India in two-match T20I series and then followed it up with a 3-2 victory in five-match One Day International (ODI) after getting down 0-2.
With consecutive series victories in India, high on confident Oz team also whitewashed Pakistan in five-match ODI series in the United Arab Emirates.
After the whitewash, a worried Arthur said that the Australian team is one of the favourites to win the World Cup.
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“I definitely think they are capable of winning the World Cup. They’re travelling really well. All the final jigsaw parts are coming together nicely. Australia looks a very, very good side. They will be a threat at the World Cup… I think there’s up to seven teams that can win the World Cup,” Arthur told.
The Australia team was without the services of their former skipper Steve Smith and his deputy David Warner, who completed their one year ban last week in UAE. Both Smith and Warner are playing in the ongoing IPL 2019 and are expected to make the Australian squad for the ICC World Cup 2019.
Talking about Smith and Warner's return, Arthur said, “You get Warner and Smith back, you put Starc and Cummins back into that line-up. It’s pretty formidable."
