Australia will enter the T20 World Cup with an aging group and a few out-of-shape players, but they will bring the same relaxed confidence that helped them win the test and ODI world championships last year.
Picking a winner in the short format’s global finale is a mug’s game, with at least six of the 20 nations making severe claims for the United States and the Caribbean.
No one will be surprised if Mitchell Marsh’s players are dancing in ticker-tape after the final in Barbados, having made history as the first nation to hold all three of cricket’s most significant global championships.
Australia has world-class players from head to toe and the confidence of a champion team: no matter how bad things go, someone among them will come through.
The fact that all-time batting great Steve Smith, a World Cup veteran, and exceptional fielder, was left out of the squad speaks volumes about their depth.
However, plenty of experienced players remain, with 37-year-old opener David Warner bidding farewell to international cricket and the customary pace three of Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, and Josh Hazlewood reporting for duty.
After leading Australia on an interim basis, all-rounder Marsh was named captain a few weeks ago and has promised to keep the mood light, much like his test and one-day captain Cummins.
Marsh will seek to give Australia’s second T20 World Cup championship, two and a half years after Aaron Finch’s team won in the United Arab Emirates.
Australia, which was previously dissatisfied under Justin Langer’s strict supervision, has since benefited from the soft touch of head coach Andrew McDonald and senior selector George Bailey.
However, thoughts of their unsuccessful title defense on home soil at the 2022 T20 World Cup are enough to take grins away.
Australia’s run rate was hampered by a crushing opening loss to New Zealand, which resulted in their elimination from the semi-finals.
The prospects of another first-up defeat against minnows Oman are slim. Australia faces them in Barbados on June 5 before a genuine test against reigning champions England.
While Smith’s removal drew little attention from fans, selectors ignored batting sensation Jake Fraser-McGurk, who lit up the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the Delhi Capitals.
Fraser-McGurk was later chosen as one of two reserve players to accompany the group, and supporters will be keen to see what the 22-year-old can do on the international stage if a teammate’s injury allows it.
Most of Australia’s IPL players made an impression in the league. However, Warner struggled with a finger injury for Delhi, and all-rounder Glenn Maxwell had poor figures for Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Marsh will enter the World Cup uncooked, having not played since early April due to a hamstring problem.
Most of the squad is over 30, and professionals will closely monitor several.
However, alarm bells are rarely ringing.
“Have we returned to the tried-and-true in terms of World Cups and performers we know can perform on such stages? “There’s no doubt about it,” McDonald stated.
“It’s players that have been there before and done it and are still in good form.”