Forget being humble, it’s time for Australia to puff its chest out writes Robert Craddock

It’s been a rocky road filled with drama and uncertainty but the setbacks have made Australia a stronger team entering the World Cup, writes ROBERT CRADDOCK

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Justin Langer has called for humility to be a prime trait of his team but it’s time for Australia to use its World Cup swagger as a weapon against the world.

The World Cup, which starts tonight with England playing South Africa, is the last bastion of Australian cricket supremacy.

The sight of Australia’s baggy green Test team no longer makes rivals tremble, and they can even be beaten at home.

Steve Smith has helped bring swagger back to the Australian outfit. Picture: Getty

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Australian cricket administrators who used to rule programming schedules with an iron fist are suddenly being pushed around by their Indian counterparts who have more money and more clout.

Australia’s dominance of world cricket has faded but once the World Cup arrives something changes, and Australia traditionally morphs into the All Blacks of cricket.

Just as New Zealand have won three out of eight rugby World Cups, Australia have won five of the 11 cricket World Cups, with a dam-busting recent record of 39 wins from their last 42 starts.

Australia enters this tournament beautifully positioned to make a charge at the title.

David Warner will cop plenty from the crowds — but could let his batting do the talking. Picture: Getty

Perversely, for all the jeering that Australia will cop throughout the next six weeks, it might be easier for them to cope with that pressure than it will be for host nation England to handle the massively high expectations and crushing pressure to win it.

Steve Smith and David Warner may be booed to and from the crease every innings but that pressure is like a raindrop on a roof-tile compared to the tsunami of pressure that awaits the tournament hosts.

England have never raised the Cup in 11 attempts and are favourites to do so this time. Anything less than a victory is a crushing failure for England, who have lost three finals.

Yet only one team — Sri Lanka in 1996 — has won the Cup for the first time while hosting it as well.

Most of the big gun nations in the tournament are defined by stereotyped reputations.

England have a reputation for falling apart at World Cups. Picture: AP

South Africa are the chokers. England, like South Africa, are the team who just can’t win it. New Zealand are the side who always seemed to make the finals then graciously bow out.

And Australia are the powerhouses. They are the team that make others nervous.

That status gives them the advantage of making other teams think Australia is better than they probably are. Maybe the aura will disappear forever in the next six weeks but it’s there at the moment.

As golfing great Jack Nicklaus once said of his major titles, “half of them I won myself but a lot of the others were sort of handed to me by players who could not handle the pressure of going stride to stride with me’’.

Remember this? Australia have forged a reputation as winner. South Africa? Not so much. Picture: AP

The longer Australia stay in the contest, the more other teams will crack.

The absence of Smith and Warner for a year rattled some but it has also helped other players take responsibility.

Now is the perfect moment for the lot of them to shine together.