Picture : Twitter / ICC
When the T20 World Cup 2021 got under way in the UAE, eyes were on defending Champions West Indies , 2019 ICC World Cup winners England, tournament favourites India and the consistent New Zealand. There was buzz about new look Pakistan too. But Aaron Finch’s Australia were written off by critics. Giving the critics fodder to not count Australia were their recent spate of bilateral series losses . Justin Langer as head coach found himself under scanner . Skipper Aaron Finch was feeling the pressure to deliver. The Aussie aura was been tested .
Not only the results were disappointing the Aussie image as a proud cricketing nation took a severe beating when in 2018 – then skipper Steve Smith and vice- captain David Warner were slapped with a one-year international ban, while Cameron Bancroft was suspended for nine months as Cricket Australia cracked the whip on the errant trio for its role in the ball-tampering scandal in South Africa. Australia’s image had hit rock bottom.
It needed the resurgence and the spark again and the T20World Cup 2021 win has done just that. Lift the sagging morale of the Australian cricket once again. Australia silenced all doubters with their astonishing showing . Improving with every game and big names stand up to be counted they bounced back to win a trophy that had eluded them since it began in 2007.
The five time ICC 50 over World Champions ( 1987, 1999, 2003, 2007 , 2015) showed that in big events , they stand tall and deliver . The rivals can only watch with awe .
Aussie players big events and big matches . And they displayed that attribute in the course of their fairytale campaign. Explosive opener David Warner who was dropped by his franchise – Sunrisers Hyderabad during the second leg of the IPL in UAE due to his poor form. But once in Aussie colours the powerful- left- hander had the last laugh – walking away with the player of the tournament.
Credit goes to Aussie skipper Aaron Finch who stood by Warner like a rock and believed in his match- winning ability and was unfazed by his poor form coming into the tournament. At the post- match conference , Finch was upfront and said he was not surprised his opening partner walked away with the player-of-the-tournament award. “You didn’t expect that? I certainly did,” he told a news conference after Australia’s comprehensive eight-wicket win in the final. “Without a word of a lie, I promise you, I called (coach) Justin Langer a few months ago and said, ‘Don’t worry about Davey, he’ll be man-of-the-tournament.’ “He’s one of the all-time great batters. And he’s a fighter. “He’s someone who when his back is against the wall, that’s when you get the very, very best of David Warner. “I can’t believe people wrote him off a couple of weeks ago. It was almost like poking the bear,” the skipper was quoted as saying after the triumph.
There is plenty of positives for Australia to take home after this epic triumph . Skipper Aaron Finch , by becoming the first Australian skipper to win the T20 World Cup is now expected to stay at the helm of the T20 and ODI sides till the next ICC T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia and 2023 ICC 50 Over World Cup in India. Finch looked unflappable and his captaincy was spot on with right bowling changes and astute field placings. He galvanised the team superbly with his astute captaincy which more or less made up for his not so impressive personal runs with the bat.
David Warner is sure to be his opening partner. In Mitchell Marsh, who overcome fitness issues , ( son of former Aussie opener Geoff Marsh) they have an explosive X factor. Add to that the firepower of Glenn Maxwell, muscled all- rounder Marcus Stoinis . The classy Steve Smith needs to rejig his T20 and ODI game if he is to stop critics from questioning his place in the eleven. Smith appears to be the chink in the Aussie batting line-up.
In the wicket- keeping , Aussie selectors have tough ask to choose between Matthew Wade and promising Alex Carey. Leg- spinner Adam Zampa was revelation in the tournament. In the pace attack , what will worry Australia is Mitchell Starc’s form and his struggle for wickets. Starc’s struggles have put pressure on other two strike bowlers – Pat Cummins and Josh Hazelwood .
All in all Aussies have now a team and core of senior players around whom the team would bank to win more titles ahead. And these are ominous signs for the rivals.
