Review of Australia's ICC World Cup 2019 campaign
Australia were thrashed by England in the semi-final of the ICC World Cup 2019 at Edgbaston on Thursday. The five-time world champions played exciting cricket throughout the campaign, but were outplayed by the hosts in a knockout game. Like India, the Aussies fell short in the middle phase and that led to their exit. Here we review their World Cup 2019 campaign.
Aussie openers steal the show in CWC 19
Australian openers David Warner (647 runs) and Aaron Finch (507 runs) were top notch throughout the tourney. They scored five centuries between them and dominated the scoring. Their free-flowing approach and attributes helped Australia in a major way in the league stage. Both played to their potential and laid the foundation just like Indian and English openers. This was a major positive.
The inconsistent middle-order was an issue
Australia never had a clear idea about the batting positions. They kept rotating Usman Khawaja and Steve Smith at number three. Also, besides Alex Carey, the other players never managed to go on. Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis couldn't deliver. Shaun Marsh and his replacement Peter Handscomb threw away the opportunities presented to them. Like India, the Aussie middle-order was their biggest weakness.
Mitchell Starc was the star for Australia
Australia's 'Fab Four' stood up in the tourney and Mitchell Starc was an inspiration with the ball. With 27 scalps under his belt, Starc created history by being the most successful bowler in an edition of the World Cup. He kept producing solid shows and won many games for his side. His wicket-taking ability helped Australia eke out match-winning moments.
Aussie bowlers performed as a group
On many occasions, Australia couldn't capitalize on the foundation the openers provided. And that was a worry. But thanks to their core group of bowlers, who came out and kept the side afloat. They won several games because of quality bowling on offer.
Australia lost form at the wrong time
Credit to Australia for reaching the semis, as critics had written them off before the tournament. They dominated the show in league games, as Finch led them side well. But it was at a wrong moment that they lost form. The defeat to Proteas saw them finish second in the table and then they came up against England, who peaked at the right time.
