T20 World Cup: Australia-England match to whet appetite for Ashes summer
In bygone eras, England’s ODI and T20 teams were a mishmash of unfit and unsuitable players. But, as Australia will no doubt find out tomorrow (AEDT), things have dramatically changed.
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The temptation is to say Sunday morning’s (AEDT) World T20 match between Australia and England has nothing to do with the Ashes, but the day England launched a white-ball war at Edgbaston tells us otherwise.
It was in a 50-over game before the iconic 2005 Ashes series.
Matthew Hayden was branded on the left shoulder by a throw from fast bowler Simon Jones and proceeded to storm down the pitch and unleash a sharp verbal reply.
In timid England teams of the 1990s, Jones would have been left to fight his own battle. But Paul Collingwood and Andrew Strauss stormed in to give Hayden a gobful, prompting the batsman to think “I knew from that point we would have a fight on our hands in the Ashes … they had each other’s backs.’’
No matter whether they win or lose against England in Dubai, Australia would do well to present a united front like England did in the white ball game before they famously won the 2005 series.
They don’t have to abuse anybody, but Australia has been the team accused of being a fractured outfit under coach Justin Langer, so simply projecting as a united team would be a step forward.
The stakes are particularly high for Australia in this game. Victory would all but assure them of making the competition semi-finals, which would be a pass mark for the tournament with two pool games to spare.
Australia has gone with its highly credentialed three-pronged pace attack of Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc in its opening two wins, but it’s doubtful whether this format will be used in every game.
The bankability of the trio make it a solid and safe option, but to win the title Australia might need something extra like a wildcard like leg-spinner Mitchell Swepson.
Adam Zampa’s exceptional 2-12 off four overs against Sri Lanka confirmed the widely held belief that wrist spinners will be the men who sprinkle the star dust in this tournament.
Most batsmen are finding the white ball seam extremely hard to pick up under lights, so any spinner like Zampa with well-disguised variations can trigger that moment of batting hesitancy that can give the bowler the edge.
Swepson could be capable of similar success if given the chance, but Australia likes the apparent safety of the pace-based attack.
David Warner cannot wriggle free from the spell Stuart Broad cast over him in the last Ashes series but a second decent knock in a row would at least prove he has burst the shackles of his recent form slump.
If Steve Smith continues his good form, he will surely have England concerned he could eat them for breakfast in the Ashes in the same way he did in the last series in England.
In bygone eras England’s white ball teams were mishmash outfits of unfit and unsuitable players and a low priority for that nation.
But that all changed with the arrival of Australian coach Trevor Bayliss who was given a mandate to improve their white ball performances and duly delivered the last 50-over World Cup before signing off and returning to Australia.
This England outfit bats deeply and has considerable bowling options.
They could field up to three spinners. Leg-spinner Adil Rashid is tipped to be their leading wicket-taker this tournament and took four wickets in his first outing against West Indies.
Not every England player at the World Cup is coming to Australia for the Ashes, but a strong T20 performance against the Aussies would put a spring in their step when they arrive down under next month.
CRICKET’S GREAT BROMANCE TO BE PUT TO TEST
Only a few weeks ago Matthew Hayden was taking fierce aim at Justin Langer’s critics … soon enough he might have to tackle him himself.
The prospect of Australia-coached Langer reaching the World T20 finals and playing Pakistan, with batting coach Hayden on board, is increasing by the match with both nations winning their first two games.
It was the sight no-one – not even the men involved – expected to see … the two former opening partners, once playfully nicknamed Romeo and Juliet by teammates because of their close bond, sitting in rival dug outs in a World Cup final.
Both men can be proud of their teams.
Australia’s win against Sri Lanka was a case of small fish tasting sweet for even though Australia were hot favourites this was a potentially dangerous game.
To put it to bed in the emphatic way Australian white ball teams of bygone eras used to operate was a significant confidence boost.
Here’s five key points.
OPEN UP
The sight of Aaron Finch and particularly David Warner hitting the ball sweetly was a joy for Australia. Everything is easier when they spring out of the blocks.
Warner’s footwork was sharp and decisive and so was his mindset. The second attacking shot he played was a brave reverse sweep for four. For a man out of form that took some courage and showed that while the runs might have dried up his confidence hasn’t.
SMITH AND STOINIS
Steve Smith started the tournament with his place being questioned but with two tidy innings from two games he is already reminding us that heavy duty performers win World Cup games.
Stoinis has also looked confident and clear-headed with the bat.
LANGER’S LOT
Maybe it’s a coincidence but when the cameras caught coach Langer in the dugout during the first two games he was occasionally smiling.
Langer has been criticised for his intensity by the players during a fiery off-season but if he is trying to lighten up then good for him because at least it shows he has taken the criticism on board.
The fact that he did not attend a recent training session showed Langer is serious about his commitment to delegating responsibility to his assistant coaches which he was urged to do.
THE SPINNERS WEB
Australia’s fast bowlers performed solidly but we sense selection boss George Bailey has a massive selection call ahead when-if Australia play the big boys at the end of the tournament.
Spinners are kings in this part of the world.
The match changed complexion the instant the underrated Adam Zampa came to the crease and Sri Lankan batsmen used to facing all sorts of wrist spinners every day in the nets could barely find a gap as he took 2-12 off four overs.
At some point Ashton Agar and Mitchell Swepson deserve exposure in the preliminary games to see whether they could be an X Factor in the final. Swepson under lights with a fizzing white ball and batsman unable to pick up the seam could be a Zampa-like force.
THE FIFTH BOWLER
Australia is trying to “fiddle’’ its fifth bowling option. Sometimes it works. Other times it doesn’t.
Glenn Maxwell was impressive in game one but Sri Lanka clearly had a plan to go after Maxwell (0-16 off one) and Marcus Stoinis (0-35 off three).
It’s easy to imagine if Australia were playing India and Pakistan in a final they could have a similar plan.
The ramifications of success or failure of this move could be huge which is why Australia can never discount playing five specialist bowlers in the big games.
When in doubt, pick the Hoff
By Ben Horne
Australian selectors will never underestimate Josh Hazlewood again.
Controversially snubbed for the 2019 ODI World Cup, Australia’s most reliable performer has changed nothing, yet is now the first bowler picked for this T20 World Cup.
Hazlewood refuses to be drawn on whether the controversial axing two years ago has been the motivating force behind his white ball revival, but one thing is clear – selectors haven’t forgotten.
“The irony of Josh is in the last World Cup with all of our evidence we had, he didn’t get selected,” coach Justin Langer said.
“It was a controversial selection because we know what a great person he is in the team and we know what a great bowler he is.”
Selectors were worried at the time that Hazlewood hadn’t played much cricket coming back from a stress fracture in his back, and made the judgement call that, despite the fact there was a major trophy there to be won, they would prioritise him for the Ashes series that was to follow.
It seems hard to imagine now after Hazlewood almost single-handedly strangled South Africa into submission on Saturday night to give Australia the start it needed at the Twenty20 World Cup, but in May 2019 selectors decided Nathan Coulter-Nile was the better option for the 50-over showpiece.
It looked a masterstroke when Coulter-Nile smashed 92 with the bat to save Australia’s bacon against West Indies, but four games later he was dropped from the attack altogether having not contributed enough with the ball.
It was at this point, as Australia steeled itself for the business end of the World Cup, that selectors would have killed to have a heavy duty superstar like Hazlewood in their bullpen, but the ship had sailed.
Bundled out in the semi-finals, perhaps the biggest lesson for Australia was that if in doubt, “pick the Hoff”.
In Test cricket and ODIs he averages 25 runs per wicket taken with the ball, in T20s 23.95. In other words, there’s nothing between Hazlewood’s best and his worst.
“Now we get to the T20 World Cup and he’s in pole position because he’s played so much cricket,” said Langer.
“It’s amazing how these things turn around.
“It’s easy to look back. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, isn’t it?
“(Walking into this World Cup) there’s no hindsight, but with all the evidence we’ve got and all the preparation we’ve got, we’ll pick our best team and give it our best shot.”
All the evidence now screams ‘Hazlewood’. After spearheading Chennai to the IPL championship, he’s suddenly Australia’s first man selected, even in an attack with Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins.
Two years ago selectors were worried about Hazlewood transitioning from World Cup to Ashes, but they needn’t have.
Hazlewood reckons he will need one, maybe two days of solid bowling with a red ball after this World Cup and he’ll be ready to go for this summer’s Ashes series: No need for a practice game, just throw him the ball.
That’s partly due to the fact he has realised he doesn’t need to add funky trimmings to his T20 game, because nothing can beat his Test match best.
Line and length and unerring consistency can dominate for Hazlewood in all formats and conditions.
“You know batters are probably expecting you to change if you do go for a four or six. They’re expecting something different next ball, so (instead of changing) you just keep doing the same thing,” said Hazlewood.
“Make them hit fours and sixes off your good deliveries. Just above the stumps and on a length. And it seems to have been working for the last few weeks in the IPL and again last night.
“I do (bowl like it’s a Test match) at certain situations in the game and at certain times. My first two overs against South Africa (2-1) suggested that, but … it’s also about thinking on your feet as well and working out what’s best for each situation.”
T20 REVOLUTION TURNS WORLD CUP ON ITS HEAD
— Robert Craddock
A week ago Steve Smith’s World Cup place was being questioned. Suddenly the odds on him being dropped are the same as the sun rising in the west.
Smith hasn’t changed. The tournament has. Or at least what we expected of it has.
Under normal batter-friendly conditions, Smith’s 35 off 34 balls against South Africa might have been the sort of knock which drew criticism for not finding fifth gear.
But on Saturday night it was far more precious because, while he would not have wanted to go one tick slower, it helped Australia wobble home in a low scoring game.
This could be the craziest T20 World Cup of all, one which turns the game’s shortest format upside down and takes the game’s whip hand away from swaggering batsmen and hands it to bowlers used to being slaves.
South Africa was shot down for just 118 in Abu Dhabi as Australia scraped home with two balls to spare.
West Indies were rolled for just 55 and even though England got them with 70 balls remaining, power hitters like Jos Buttler could manage just 24 off 22 when he was trying to up the run rate.
Of course, the bigger scores will roll in soon enough, but Ricky Ponting alerted us to the fact that the UAE wickets have been well worn by the recent Indian Premier League and may be hard to score on.
Bring it on.
Low-scoring T20 matches like Australia versus South Africa have a charm all of their own and they will ensure the tournament has a victor who successfully answers so many difficult questions.
Teams will need to be smart in the selection room. Batting brains will count for more than brawn. Subtly could be more important than strength. Experience will trade in gold bars.
New Australian selection chairman George Bailey started his role on a winning note with a successful punt on Josh Hazlewood as part a three-pronged pace attack.
Yet things can change so quickly there may be games when picking three spinners makes more sense.
Australia will need to be nimble and occasionally bold in team selections.
The old dictum that World Cups are won by heavy duty players rather than Flash Harrys was underlined not simply by Smith’s hustling and the relentless probing of Josh Hazlewood, but, in a smaller way, by Matthew Wade.
Urged by many to drop Wade for Josh Inglis, the selectors kept faith with Wade sensing his fighting heart may be needed in high-pressure moments, which it was.
A neat catch over the stumps and a desperately needed 15 off 10 at the death when pulse rates were soaring vindicated the move.
Australia still has much work to do before it can consider itself a strong chance of snatching the title.
Someone in the top three – David Warner, Aaron Finch or Mitchell Marsh – needs to step up because those early overs when the field is up and the ball is hard are when Australia must strike hard and often.
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