AUSTRALIA REVIEW

Australia's WT20 campaign blighted by a clear lack of cohesion

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Steven Smith and the brains trust took a mighty gamble separating Aaron Finch and David Warner at the top of the order. © Cricbuzz

Heading into the World T20, we probably should have taken heed of the warning signs but were too absorbed with Australia's aura. Perhaps we also confused this hodgepodge of a T20 team with Australia's formidable One-Day International team. Some of the names are the same but the overall cohesion does not mesh in T20 cricket like it does so overwhelmingly in ODIs.

Still, Australia came into the World T20 as second favourites in many leading betting agencies but will return home ingloriously having failed to qualify for the semi-final stage. Australia, the undisputed dominant force in ODI World Cups winning four of the last five titles, still frustratingly have not won a World T20.

They were stunningly knocked out of the tournament by Virat Kohli, who put on his superhero cape to produce one of the most incredible innings seen in any format. Australia were gallant in the face of Kohli's masterclass and ardent Australian backers can rightly argue the team was in the box seat with three overs remaining.

Undoubtedly, Australia showed plenty of archetypal pluck against the odds in Mohali but what should not be conveniently forgotten was that they deserved to bow out early. Australia never looked settled throughout the tournament, mixing and matching their team in a clear sign of a lack of cohesion. If they are being honest with themselves in the mirror, Australia will admit their campaign was blighted by strange selections and bizarre tactics, which reared against India and New Zealand earlier in the tournament.

Captain Steve Smith oddly decided not to use Adam Zampa in the match's crunch juncture even though the leg-spinner had two overs left and came into the contest high on confidence after starring against Bangladesh and Pakistan. Revealingly, it spoke of Australia's inherent distrust of spinners in T20 cricket. They overlooked in their squad star Big Bash League (BBL) performer Cameron Boyce and Nathan Lyon, whose experience would have been invaluable.

There was a notable whiff of arrogance in the original squad's selection, as Australia bullishly believed they could thrive on Indian conditions with just one specialist spinner. Bizarrely, all-rounder Ashton Agar was selected as the second spinner even though his left-arm orthodox was rarely seen in the BBL, where he was primarily used as a middle-order batsman by Perth Scorchers.

Australia believed, unwisely, they could survive with a weakened pace attack, which looked threadbare without spearhead Mitchell Starc and a slew of all-rounders. Andrew Tye, a death bowling specialist, was another random selection despite his consistency in the BBL for Perth Scorchers. Australia clearly struggled with their death bowling yet did not even consider Tye for game time at the World T20. You would think Tye's original selection indicated he would play in the tournament, otherwise why pick him?

Hindsight is always a marvel, but you sense Australia would have looked notably more menacing and had greater variety with firebrand paceman Shaun Tait and either Boyce or Lyon instead of Agar and Tye. There was much the sameness of the attack. Nathan Coulter-Nile was capable of bustling in but you always felt his lack of international experience would show in crucial moments and, almost inevitably, it did at the end against India where he was helpless to stop a rampaging Kohli. To be fair to Coulter-Nile, maybe not even Starc at his rampaging best would be able to curtail Kohli's genius.

While the attack was a predictable mess, Australia's vaunted batting was a major disappointment and the prime reason why they flopped at the World T20. Boasting so much firepower and depth, it was hard not to be besotted with Australia's madcap batting line-up.

Unfortunately for Australia, they mangled the lineup and sabotaged their best chances of succeeding. It is still baffling that they chose to persist with utilising David Warner at No.3 or 4. It succeeded in South Africa prior to the World T20 where Warner, combining memorably with Glenn Maxwell, helped Australia chase down 205 and reinforce Australias belief that their vice-captain could be used as a floating weapon.

Warner's success in South Africa turned out to be fool's gold. It was jarring seeing him so hesitant during the World T20, second guessing himself when he went out to the crease mid-innings in Australia's opening two matches. Warner could never discover his confidence after that. He's innately an opening batsman and you feel he just wants to get out there immediately; perhaps he overthinks when waiting for his turn to bat.

Essentially, Warner is Australia's Chris Gayle. Can you imagine the West Indies batting Gayle anywhere other than right at the top?

Australia made other peculiar decisions, most contentiously overlooking Aaron Finch for the opening two matches. Finch was rated the world's number one T20 batsman and was the captain just two months ago yet did not start the World T20. By the time he was belatedly recalled against Pakistan, Finch could never quite rediscover his groove.

Breaking the Finch-Warner opening partnership, which has worked so well in ODI cricket, felt strange in the moment and continues to look like a major miscalculation. Australia's batting was unbalanced and, accordingly, inconsistency became a major bane.

It was jarring to see Australia look so unprepared and ragged for a major tournament, especially considering there was a genuine sense they were keen to make amends for past World T20 failures. You generally expect incoherent teams to be comprised of England, Pakistan or the West Indies, but not Australia.

One of Australia's great strengths is their preparedness and strategising well in advance of major events. This is continually reinforced at ODI World Cups, where they start shaping their team at least 12 months prior. Prime examples include former captain Mark Taylor and wicketkeeper Ian Healy being dumped from the ODI team 18 months ahead of the 1999 World Cup, and the axing of the Waugh twins one year before the 2003 edition. Both sets of decisions probed to be masterstrokes, but, regardless, was indicative of Australia's attentiveness and assuredness.

Australia have seemingly never had the same focus with the World T20. Perhaps you can forgive them in the early years of T20, when they seemed to not really take the format seriously but those apathetic days are over. The World T20 is a major prize in cricket, and one that Australia have so far been unable to grasp.

Australia have always been a team that trades on a healthy dose of bravado, which can be backed up because they are primed and organised. You feel Australia's bravado in T20 cricket is more manufactured. They are feeding off past experiences in other formats. As Australia are belatedly now grasping, they are a long way off the mark in T20 cricket.

Undoubtedly, Australia need more fine-tuning in T20 matches; to play just once in 2015 is shambolic. They must find their identity and have continuity well before the World T20, not hope it magically materialises during the actual tournament. The sacking of Finch as captain just two months before the World T20 was indicative of the tangle Australia found themselves in.

It is not all doom and gloom for Australia. Most of the core of the team is youngish and should still be in their prime years in 2020. There is always a slew of talent annually in the BBL, so Australia should have plenty of options to choose for.

Undeniably, Australia will be expected to win the 2020 World T20 on home soil. But to do so, they need to analyse this current calamity and take heed of the lessons learnt. Australia have four long years to stew over the disappointment.

More importantly, they have four years to get it right.

Australia's bowling attack, despite being competent, was never intimidating. ©Reuters

© Cricbuzz

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