Hyderabad : The last year and a half proved to be a disaster for Australia especially in the one dayers till they toured India couple of months back. The men in yellow lost every bilateral ODI series they played in this period. In their tour to India in March this year, the Kangaroos broke their series losing jinx by beating India 3-2 and that too after coming back from 0-2 down, In one of that match the Aussies won, they successfully chased down India's mammoth total of 358.
That tour of India was the turning point for the defending champions. They played Pakistan next at a neutral venue in Dubai and Sharjah and won the 5 match ODI series 5-0. The notable feature of those 8 wins on the trot was that, they played without their two main batters Steve Smith and David Warner. Both Smith and Warner were serving a one year ban imposed upon them by Cricket Australia due to ball tampering episode in their South African tour last year.
These back to back series wins against India (in India) and Pakistan (at a neutral venue) boosted their confidence to a great extent. Now that Smith and Warner have returned, they are on seventh heaven. Led by flamboyant skipper Aaron Finch, their batting order is rock solid that are required for ODIs. With Usman Khwaja, who was one of the architect of series win against India and David Warner fighting for skipper Finch's opening partner, Smith at number 3 followed by Shaun Marsh, hard hitter Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis.... the batting order looks formidable. Batting appears to be the strength of the Aussies
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Alex Carey is there to execute the job behind the stumps. He ,too, can bat a bit.
Their bowling, however, is a matter of concern. They have excluded ever reliable Josh Hazzlewood to include an extra batter. Another reliable bowler Jhye Richadson had to fly back home due to injuries How far his replacement Kane Richardson will deliver on the big stage is a matter of concern. Vice Captain , Pat Cummins will lead the bowling attack but much will depend on Mitchell Starc, the player of 2015 world cup and the highest wicket taker in that tournament. If Starc, plagued by injuries, fails to repeat his 2015 performance, the hard work put by Aussie batters will go down the drain. Jason Behrendorff and Nathan Coulter-Nile are there but what is worrying is their consistency. In the spin department, Adam Zampa and Nathan Lyon will be the options before Finch. But again, how far Zampa and Lyon succeed against teams like India remains to be seen.
Although the Aussie bowling appears to be their weakness, however, you will be living in a fool's paradise if you count them off. Given their recent performances and with the return of Smith & Warner, they might spring a surprise you may never know.
