Aussies rank outsiders vs India

Aussies Rank Outsiders vs India

ODI SERIES Sixth on the ICC rankings,Australia have wononly28out of 63 ODIs playedsince their 2015 World Cup win

WhenSteveSmithworkedaball off agoodlength from Matt Henry to thesquare legboundary,theMCGeruptedandAustralia were crowned World Champions for the fifth timein theirhistory. At that moment, the host nation were ahead of thecurveinthe50-overformat; despite the subsequent retirementsofBradHaddin,Mitchell JohnsonandMichaelClarke, it feltasthoughtheywereleaving behind ayoung, vibrant side thathadplentyofsuccessahead ofthem. Theyhadthebig-hittingbatsmen at the top of the order in AaronFinchandDavidWarner –only losing finalistsNewZealand recorded afaster run rate inthefirsttenoversinthattournament. The middle order engine

room of Smith, Clarke, and ShaneWatsonkeptthings tickingoveraheadofthemercurial all-roundtalentsofGlennMaxwell and James Faulkner. In Mitchell Starc, they possessed the best death bowler in the world while the future looked brightwiththeyoungtalents of Mitchell Marsh and Pat Cummins,fringeplayerswhononetheless playedtheirpartonthe way to the final, seemingly ready to step in to replace the outgoing old guard. On the eve ofthe ODI series

againstIndia, things have not quite worked out the way they should have. Australia have slippedtosixthintheICCrankings,theirlowestpositionatthe start of acalendaryear since 1984. Coincidentally, that was one of only four years since rankingswerefirst recordedin 1981 that India startedthe year aheadoftheir opponents in the rankings. It isasomewhatcrudemeasure,with theICC rankings far from aperfect indicator of a team’s performance, but it is onethatillustratesAustralia’s sharpdeclineinthe50-overformat.AndwhileAustralia have stagnatedsincethattriumphant night in Melbourne, other teams, including India,have overtaken them. The gap between the two

sides in terms ofranking positionshasneverbeenmoreheavily in India’s favour at the start ofayear and ViratKohli’sside willbesmellingblood aheadof the upcomingseries. Australia’s fallfromgracein

ODI cricket has been starkand brutal. In the 18 months up to andincluding the 2015 World Cup, Australia won 29 ODIs; in nearlyfouryearssincewinning thetournament,they’vewon28. Ofcourse,retirements to some key players did not help, but Australia’sefforts to replace them have too often been misjudged. Faulkner, the man of thematch in the World Cup final has fallenout offavourandnot played an ODI for over ayear. Maxwell,the batsmansurely most suited to playing ODI cricketinthemannerrequired to succeed in 2019, has been in and out of the side for reasons seldom relating to form and ability. Batsmen who have madetheirnameintheBigBash Leaguesuch as D’Arcy Short, Chris Lynn and Travis Head have come into the side with mixedresults,noneabletotruly nail downaspot in the starting XI forone reason oranother. Australia have played 63 matches since the World Cup, using42differentplayersinthat

time. Four teams have fielded moreplayersinthattime–West Indies, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka–but all of those teams haveplayedmorematchesthan Australia,besidesWestIndies. OneofthefundamentalproblemsforAustralia’s battinghas arguablybeenthattheyhaven’t changed enough in terms of approach.