ICC World Cup 2011: don’t rule out Australia yet
Australia take on Zimbabwe in their opening game of the 2011 ICC World Cup on 21 February in Ahmedabad and will be hoping Ponting’s men will fire flat out against a team they should beat relatively easily.
After a couple of defeats in their pre-cup practice games against South Africa and India, Australia will want a confidence booster for their players, especially for their mid-low who have failed to shoot.
With Haddin set to open with Watson, the top order is looking good, especially with the Ponting skipper coming into shape with fifty in practice games.
Watson is in ominous shape but, sadly for Oz, he doesn’t make his good form count, often enough. After a 161 in the opening match against England in the recent ODI series between the sides, he scored a pair of fiftys in the next five games. With his ability to break wickets as an additional closer, Watson could be a contender for Man of the Tournament.
Haddin brings more firepower to the top of the order, and Ponting would like his fit keeper to turn his openings into big shots.
Clarke has never really reached his potential as a hitter after a brilliant start to his career. He’s not the quintessential ODI player, but with his technical strength, Ponting’s backup brings solidity to the middle order, an especially critical requirement, in the absence of Mike Hussey.
After his exploits in the IPL, everyone knows how dangerous David Hussey can be; he tends to get off to good starts in almost every game, but like Haddin and Watson, he never seems to get the most out of his form.
White has been performing below his potential recently. He started 5 of the 6 games he played against England, but only had a maximum score of 45 to prove it. Incidentally, in Clarke’s absence, White captained Australia in the last ODI with England.
Steve Smith hasn’t been too impressive with the bat or the ball, although he did get a few wickets against England. His continued inclusion in the squad points to the extent of Australia’s decline in international cricket. Not too long ago, much more successful players were being dropped from the team, despite their performance, to make room for young talent.
Johnson is a puzzle; Here is a brilliant bowler who has missed the most times when the team looked up to him to deliver. Add to that his hitting talent that justifies pushing him up the order, even to the starting spot, and you can only say, what a waste.
Lee is in ominous shape; his raw pace can unsettle the best of hitters in the deadliest of wickets. He never counts Australia out with his bowling spearhead showing signs of regaining his pre-2007 ground-taking ability.
Tait is another example of great talent wasted. What about today’s fast bowlers who don’t have the stomach to perform at the highest level, test matches that is? That said, Tait seems to have regained his confidence and his pace could at least prove decisive in a critical situation.
Bollinger must be listed as the most underrated bowler in the world. He has no pace, a quality you would expect to see in a new Australian ball operator. But take a look at his economy rate and his ability to take wickets, qualities that will come in handy in friendly wickets of subcontinent hitters.
In the end, it will all come down to how well Australia do in three games, starting with the quarter-finals. As he prepares to lead his team to four in a row, Ponting will count on the absence of expectations as his greatest ally.