For
a team which has won five World Cup titles and has often been ranked
the number one Test team in the world, Australia have gotten to just one
final in World T20 cricket and lost that to traditional rivals England.
Other
than that there have been a couple of semi-finals appearances but the
side has rarely looked the world champions in T20 cricket like they have
in ODI and Test cricket. And they would want to change that when they
take that flight to India for the World T20 from March 2016.
Australia
will encounter different conditions in India. There won't be their
traditional pace and bounce on the surfaces, although the pitches will
be made by independent ICC curators and won't see the same amount of
turn that surfaces in India usually do. Still, they will need to ensure
they prepare themselves for the slower wickets and those which assist
batsmen more than bowlers.
In order to be able
to do that, Cricket Australia have roped in S Sriram and Michael Hussey
for their T20 side. Sriram, who has played in a few ODIs for India, was a
left-arm spinner and scored truckload of runs at domestic cricket
level. More vitally, he has worked with the Australia A team as well.
Hussey
is an Aussie legend in his own right and one of the chief reasons why
he went on to score so many runs after he turned 30 was his ability to
play spin. He had a good record against spinners and has even taken to
coaching, having worked with the South African side during the World Cup
and on their tour of India.
Whether this will
help Australia, one doesn't know, but it should give them some more
confidence going into the World T20 next year where the side is 11/2 to
clinch the title. They are also 15/8 to win their group and make the
semi-finals.
Tournament starts on March 8.
Post a Comment