This October, the cricketing world converges on Oman and the UAE for the first ICC sanctioned international event since the 2020 Women’s World Cup in Australia. Originally slated to be held in Australia, it was to be the curtain raiser to an Ashes summer.
Australia’s men’s T20 team has a patchy T20 World Cup record. Having made a single final, back in 2010 (lost in the final to England) when the West Indies hosted the tournament. The Australian team will enter the tournament ranked 7th according to the ICC, behind Bangladesh, South Africa, New Zealand, Pakistan, India and England.
With a recent review into Justin Langer’s management style and failure to beat West Indies and Bangladesh in the T20 format, the question is, what will success look like for Australia at this ICC event?
The David Warner conundrum is not the only issue facing Langer and the Australian coaches. Warner turns 35 this month and hasn’t held his spot in the starting XI for the Sunrisers Hyderbad in the IPL. He doesn’t enter the tournament as the premier T20 batter in the lineup. With the squad selected, there are options in the opening position that could see Warner under pressure for his place for the first time in his international career.
Langer knows better than most that T20 isn’t necessarily a young players game. It was, partly, due to his domestic T20 success that saw Langer appointed Australian Men’s Coach in 2018. Langer was a proven T20 leader, as his record with the Perth Scorchers shows; it was a mixture of youth and experience that allowed the Scorchers to dominate the early days of the BBL. He knows how to get the best out of experienced players in the T20 format. At domestic level he has built teams around experience. Paul Collingwood, Simon Katich, Shaun Marsh, Brad Hogg, Adam Voges and Luke Ronchi all had important roles to play in the success of Langer at domestic T20 level. But the T20 game has evolved since then and the threat is that T20 has left Langer and Warner behind.
The pitches and the weather are going to play a significant part in the ability for any team to sustain excellence. The Oman and UAE wickets do tend to be low and slow, with extremely fast outfields. Being played in the Persian Gulf for the first time, with average day time October temperatures in the low to mid-30’s, the pace attack of Cummins, Hazlewood, and Starc will mostly likely be rotated with Richardson the only full-time pace bowler back up. The selection of a tried and tested Test trio is a concern for an Australian team T20, particularly outside of Australia. The absence of Alex Carey, the most-likely next in line Test keeper leaves the keeping duties up for grabs with the veteran Wade or WA’s Josh Inglis to take the gloves.
The format is another facet that faces Langer and the brains trust. The Australians are in Group 1 of the Super 12’s, alongside the number 1 ICC T20 ranked team England, the fifth ranked South Africans and two-time T20 world champions, West Indies. They will be joined by the winners of Group A- most likely Sri Lanka or Ireland, and the 2nd place nation from Group B, mostly likely Scotland. Those two teams, whoever they are, will be battle hardened in the conditions. Only the top two teams from the Super 12’s will advance to the semi-finals.
- 23rd Oct Australia v South Africa
- 29th Oct Australia v Winner Group A
- 31st Oct Australia v England
- 04 Nov Australia v 2nd in Group B
- 06 Nov Australia v West Indies
Australia will be the underdogs; we know that is how Langer would like it to be. Key individuals and the coaching staff under pressure. Perhaps the underdog tag can bring out the best in Finch, Warner and Smith. We know that’s how Langer would like it to be. Finishing top two in the group, followed by a semi-final against India, New Zealand, or Pakistan would be a success for the Australians.
Troy Martin, a cricket tragic. Living on the NSW Central Coast, he has worked as a cook in a nursing home, as a ‘quality control manager’ at a local fruit juice factory. He has been a high school English and History. Now as owner of a social/digital media agency, Little Wonder Digital, he helps local businesses reach the right people on social media. He plays cricket for Warnervale Cricket Club.
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