Who has starred and who has stuttered for Australia at the World Cup so far
With the World Cup group stage now over, some Aussies have starred on the big stage so far, while others have failed to live up to pre-tournament billings. FULL SQUAD RATED HERE!
- Khawaja’s World Cup replacement not locked in
- The Poms have pressure of history against them
- Team of the tournament: India, Australia dominate
Australia are just two wins away from an incredible sixth World Cup title. It hasn’t been plain sailing but the performances of a clutch of stars has given hope for the knock-out stages
We rate the performance of the full squad following the completion of the group stage of the tournament.
DAVID WARNER 9
Matches: 9
Runs: 638 @ 79.8
Strike-rate: 89.5
High Score: 166
Centuries: 3
If the Warners ever purchase birth control, perhaps coach Justin Langer should consider hiding it. Davey smacked 122 just days after daughter Isla Rose was born last week, three years after celebrating Indi Rae’s birth with ODI scores of 93 and 122, and five years after crushing a Test ton after having his first daughter, Ivy Mae.
Warner has sold off a slice of his strike-rate for some added maturity that has seen him bat the bulk of some World Cup innings. The jeers are slowly turning into cheers for the man who suddenly trains with headphones plugged in. Warner will be the No. 1 Ashes target, for both the Barmy Army and the England attack, come August 1 at Edgbaston.
WOMEN’S ASHES: Seven-up Perry obliterates England
JIMMY RIDDLE: Injury question has Poms on back foot already
AARON FINCH 8.5
Matches: 9
Runs: 507 @ 56.3
Strike-rate: 102.4
High score: 153
Centuries: 2
Three years after Australia sacked Finch as captain on the eve of the T20 World Cup in India, he is the 50-over World Cup’s standout skipper. Match-winning centuries against England and Sri Lanka have been supported by shrewd tactical moves and a calming influence on a potentially explosive squad.
It was Finch who gave Jason Behrendorff the new ball, helping the left-armer grab seven wickets at Lord’s, and it was Finch who beat Pakistan by one second, when he called for a plucky review that swung the match. He’s been dismissed for less than 10 three times, including in his past two games, but, once Finch hits double figures he is averaging 81.7. And Australia is four from four when its captain reaches 50. World Cup tons against England in 2015 and 2019 bodes well for Thursday night.
USMAN KHAWAJA 6
Matches: 9
Runs: 316 @ 35.1
Strike-rate: 88.3
High score: 89
Half-centuries: 2
The natural opener appeared to lose his rhythm when he lost his opening position. The classy left-hander was shuffled down from No. 3 to 4 to 6 in the opening four games, although Khawaja’s gutsy 88 against New Zealand were the tough runs needed on a used wicket that set up a crucial victory. Hopefully the twinged hamstring that has ended his World Cup before the knockout stages doesn’t cruel his Ashes hopes too.
STEVE SMITH 6.5
Matches: 9
Runs: 294 @ 32.7
Strike-rate: 91.3
High score: 73
Half-centuries: 3
Looked untouchable in the warm-up games, but four scores of 10 or less in Australia’s last six games has the former skipper feeling the pinch. The cricket nerd spends most of his life batting — either endlessly in the nets, at 7am in his hotel room, or shadow batting his way through life in general — and few can combine the skills of T20 and Test match batting in an ODI like Smith. Now bowls off-spin and leg-spin and remains a reliable inner fielder … he just need a ton to triumph.
GLENN MAXWELL 5.5
Matches: 9
Runs: 155 @ 22.1
Strike-rate: 163.2
Wickets: 0
Economy: 6.02
Gun fielder (no Aussie has saved more runs), tidy bowler (pressure made Sri Lanka finally crumble) … disappointing batsman. That’s been the story of Maxi’s campaign, particularly when judging his innings on the games Australia needed a robust contribution rather than a rocket launch at the end. Maxwell hits at 195.5 in his first 15 balls, but the Aussies need him to dig in and face 60 balls in a knockout game. Must learn to dot up against the fast and furious, knowing he will catch up against slower bowlers, to unlock his magical weapons. The short ball watch is on.
MARCUS STOINIS 4
Matches: 7
Runs: 83 @ 16.6
Strike-rate: 76.1
Wickets: 7 @ 33
Economy: 6.07
Powerful allrounder pushed himself to the brink to return from a side strain, and then appeared to burst against South Africa.
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Stoinis only bowled five overs in his past two games and never looked fit, despite only missing two games after that injury. Should Australia have just pulled the trigger on Mitchell Marsh earlier? Maybe. But Stoinis was the reigning ODI player of the year, and deserved the chance to get back. High praise from greats including Ricky Ponting and Shane Warne suggest he will one day make amend. While Virat Kohli told Stoinis to start preparing for the Ashes last April, a Test debut in that series looks unlikely now.
ALEX CAREY 8
Matches: 9
Runs: 329 @ 65.8
Strike-rate: 113.8
Highest score: 85
Half-centuries: 3
Dismissals: 19
The World Cup’s shining light is now blindingly bright. Carey — AFL star Dylan Shiel’s best mate, and a former GWS captain — couldn’t have dreamt of a better tournament. He is Australia’s man for all moments, playing with both patience and punch when required. Coach Justin Langer could promote him to No. 6 or even No. 5 for the semi-final, while Carey’s 19 dismissals behind the stumps is just two shy of Adam Gilchrist’s World Cup record. And you can see why Langer wouldn’t mind Carey marrying his daughters, for the white-ball vice-captain is as polite as an altar boy. Lock him in as Test skipper Tim Paine’s successor behind the stumps.
PAT CUMMINS 7
Matches: 9
Wickets: 13 @ 30.2
Economy: 4.96
Best: 3/33
Entered the World Cup as Australia’s golden boy, but was quickly overtaken by tournament king Mitchell Starc. Has Cummins lost his edge? He’s certainly lost the new ball, and is finding it much more difficult as first change, when the swing has all but dried up. Cummins’ economy remains strong but the wickets, like the batting firepower in most games, has diminished lately. But it would be foolish to write off a fiery spell against England in a semi-final.
MITCHELL STARC 9.5
Matches: 9
Wickets: 26 @ 16.6
Economy: 5.18
Best: 5/26
Is this the same bloke that Shane Warne, among others, slapped all summer?
Starc, the tournament’s fastest bowler, is certain to go down as a World Cup great and could pip Bangladesh No. 3 Shakib Al-Hasan to go back-to-back as player of the tournament. Australia wouldn’t be in the semi-finals without Starc’s match-winning spells. His game plan is obvious — bowl full and attack the stumps … but, as West Indies’ captain Jason Holder said, even with that knowledge, Starc is simply too good for batsmen to stop. Hint: Ben Stokes’ dismissal.
JASON BEHRENDORFF 7.5
Matches: 4
Wickets: 9 @ 21
Economy: 5.25
Best: 5/44
The left-arm swing bowler started as Australia’s 15th man — late inclusion Kane Richardson had jumped him in the warm-up games, and got a run first — but Behrendorff steadily climbed into the third seamer’s role and now looks at home in the best team. His new-ball partnership with Starc set up Australia’s top-two finish, while bagging five wickets against England at Lord’s is a memory he will saviour forever. One-year-old son Harrison walking that hallowed turf with dad two days later will also last in the family’s memory bank.
NATHAN LYON 7
Matches: 3
Wickets: 3 @ 44
Economy: 4.55
Best: 2/53
Forget the wickets column, Lyon’s defensive pressure set up a staggering seven dismissals at the other end in his first two World Cup games. At 31 he is, finally, Australia’s frontline white-ball spinner, largely due to leg-spinners struggling at a tournament in which they were tipped to wreak havoc. The faith by captain Aaron Finch in Lyon was underlined when he asked the off-spinner to bowl the sixth over against South Africa, called upon to help blunt a blazing start. It worked, with Lyon sending both openers back to the Old Trafford sheds.
NATHAN COULTER-NILE 6
Matches: 5
Wickets: 4 @ 70
Economy: 5.93
Best: 2/58
The No. 8’s ridiculous 92 (60) against West Indies got Australia out of jail as the quasi allrounder went from swinging at everything to middling everything. But, as Coulter-Nile noted, he was in the team to take wickets, and four scalps in five games saw Australia look elsewhere for a more damaging third seamer. Plus, Coulter-Nile looked sore during his stretch of four games in 11 days with fitness an ongoing concern.
ADAM ZAMPA 4
Matches: 4
Wickets: 5 @ 47.2
Economy: 7.15
Best: 3/60
Zampa flew to England as Australia’s specialist spinner and, sadly, soon became the specialist drinks carrier. You have to feel for the legspinner, as it simply wasn’t a tournament for his craft. Look at Afghan genius Rashid Khad (0/110 against England) to see how tough it was for those turners. Dual World Cup winner Brad Hogg thought Zampa bowled beautifully without luck against Bangladesh (1/68) on a road and, at 27, hopefully selectors stick with the domestic ace.
KANE RICHARDSON 5.5
Matches: 2
Wickets: 5 @ 21.8
Economy: 6.16
Best: 3/47
Coach Justin Langer fell back in love with Kane Richardson after he backed up a Big Bash where he showed he could be Australia’s first specialist death bowler since Brett Lee against Pakistan in Dubai. Richardson has great variation and cleverly picks up batsmen’s cues to choose the right ball in dangerous situations. Richardson did his job — 1/6 (10 balls) against Pakistan at the death and 2/13 (18 balls) against Sri Lanka — but vulnerability earlier on saw him replaced in the team. If Australia falls short of the trophy then fans will always wonder whether Josh Hazlewood could’ve made a difference.
SHAUN MARSH 3 (withdrawn due to a broken right arm)
Matches: 2
Runs: 26 @ 13
Strike-rate: 74.3
High Score: 23
Half-centuries: 0
Like Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan, Marsh had his World Cup dreams dashed, along with a bone broken, by a Pat Cummins bouncer. Marsh struck four centuries in eight games to book his ticket to the World Cup, but Usman Khawaja’s credits in the bank meant he was always going to be a bit-part player. The reserve batsman played two games in Marcus Stoinis’s absence and never got going. With Ashes selection now unlikely, where does that leave Marsh’s international career? Perhaps with full availability for Melbourne Renegades next summer, when he joins Aaron Finch’s champion team.
Originally published as Who has starred and who has stuttered for Australia at the World Cup so far
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