Australia’s young T20 players gives hope of shot at world title

AUSTRALIA has a poor record in the international T20 arena — no world title and a current ranking of seven — but the signs are there that a surge is coming.

D'Arcy Short walks out to bat during the Twenty20 International match between Australia and England at Blundstone Arena. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images)

AUSTRALIA has a poor record in the international T20 arena — no world title and a current ranking of seven — but the signs are there that a surge is coming.

The most encouraging aspect is the number of young players displaying skill and nerve in a game that provides extreme rewards for power hitting and deceptive bowling.

Marcus Stoinis, D’Arcy Short, Alex Carey, Andrew Tye and Billy Stanlake, are all recent additions who complement the established stars.

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This provides hope that a strong squad will be contenders to break the world title drought when the next tournament is played in Australia in 2020.

In addition, Jake Weatherald, Ashton Turner and Jhye Richardson have impressed in the popular BBL competition and they will also press for selection.

D'Arcy Short walks out to bat at Blundstone Arena on Wednesday. Pic: Getty Images

The difficulty for selectors — especially in choosing batsmen — is the game is inordinately skewed towards openers as they represent the best chance to make big scores on a regular basis. Nevertheless, the selectors have benefited from the chaotic international schedule, as a number of young players may not have got their chance if it weren’t for the Test side preparing for the South African tour.

In the absence of Steve Smith, David Warner, despite his recent run of low scores, has shown himself to be an excellent alternative captain. If it’s decided in the future that Smith needs a break from the exacting leadership role in one form of the game, Warner will be a worthy replacement.

The other encouraging news from the current tri-series is the resurgence of Glenn Maxwell. There’s now a renewed trust in his style of play and while Maxwell’s performing with increased responsibility, he hasn’t lost any of his flair. He’s once again looming as crucial member of the team.

Glenn Maxwell during the T20 in Hobart. Pic: Getty Images

However, he was fortunate to survive to score a century in Hobart when yet another disputed catch went the way of a batsman prepared to stand his ground. Why the administrators keep relying on replays of catches when television has proved it’s a flawed process, is beyond belief.

It’s one thing if the administrators are ambivalent about embarrassing themselves but to ignore the fact that cricketers appear to be cheats to the watching public is indefensible.

The impending expansion of the glitzy IPL and advanced plans for the BBL to play more matches, eventually with extra teams involved, suggests a glamorous future for T20 cricket.

There’s no doubt that T20 cricket with it’s franchise based concept and appeal to the younger generation has done wonders for the game’s coffers. On the other side of the coin the proliferation of T20 leagues has done nothing to help de-clutter the international schedule.

The administrators need to be careful they’re not guilty of overkill and in the process, dampen the enthusiasm for T20 cricket. It’s worth remembering that the once enormously popular ODI version of the game only debuted in the early seventies and yet, since the advent of T20, it’s approval rating has waned rapidly.

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In a game that is heavily reliant on close finishes and big hitting for spectator thrills, there’s a danger that the latter will become mundane. That begs the question; what direction does the game take if T20 loses it’s gloss?

Perhaps there’s an argument for retaining T20 cricket as a franchise only game to capitalise on the tribal aspect of the fan base. That way international contests could remain the domain of both Test and one-day cricket.

In the meantime, Australia — courtesy of its well supported BBL competition — is finally making headway in its search for a World T20 title.

Originally published as Australia’s young T20 players gives hope of shot at world title