Depleted Australia Face Uphill Battle At Champions Trophy
AFP/APP
Sydney: Australia, struggling with confidence and missing key players, faces a tough challenge in their bid to win a first Champions Trophy title since 2009.
The World Cup holders are without their “Big Three” pacemen Pat Cummins (ankle), Josh Hazlewood (hip), and Mitchell Starc, who is absent for personal reasons. This is a significant loss, as the trio has collectively taken 525 wickets in 308 ODI matches.
In addition, Australia is also missing all-rounders Mitchell Marsh (back) and Marcus Stoinis (retired), leaving half of their regular squad unavailable. Leg-spinner Adam Zampa is the only frontline bowler left for the tournament in Pakistan and Dubai.
The depleted team recently suffered a 2-0 ODI series defeat in Sri Lanka, who failed to qualify for the Champions Trophy, and are now on a four-match losing streak in the 50-over format.
Australia’s death bowling remains a major concern. The seamers selected Spencer Johnson, Sean Abbott, Nathan Ellis, Ben Dwarshuis, and all-rounder Aaron Hardie have only 52 ODIs between them, with a combined total of 56 wickets.
Ahead of their opening Champions Trophy match against England on Saturday in Lahore, chief selector George Bailey insists they have enough resources to succeed. “We have a variety of options to shape the playing XI depending on the opposition and conditions,” he said.
Australia is placed in Group B with South Africa and Afghanistan. Johnson is expected to take up Starc’s new-ball role, aiming to provide early breakthroughs, a task that has long been Starc’s specialty. “It’s something I’ve imagined in my mind, to step into a similar role to him (Starc),” Johnson said. “Hopefully, I can replicate some of his success.”
Australia has lifted the Champions Trophy twice, in 2006 and 2009, and Steve Smith will lead the team in the absence of regular captain Cummins. Travis Head, Glenn Maxwell, and Josh Inglis form a potentially explosive batting lineup.
However, Marnus Labuschagne is out of form, and the team is still searching for a stable opening partner for Head, with Jake Fraser-McGurk and Matt Short having struggled so far. One of them will get another chance to open alongside Head.
Smith reflected on the recent series loss to Sri Lanka as “another learning curve” and acknowledged the importance of Cummins, Hazlewood, and Starc. “They’ll certainly be missed,” he said, adding that the absence of these key players gives others a chance to step up. “Some of the guys who had an opportunity in the last two games (against Sri Lanka) bowled really well,” he added.
Although Smith has never played an ODI in Pakistan, he is confident that the batting lineup will rise to the challenge. “The ball skids on a bit more (in Pakistan),” he said. “That makes conditions better for batting, but you have to assess it and play accordingly.”
Smith also mentioned that with a 15-man squad and several batters to choose from, they will select the best team based on the conditions they face.
