Australia's performance in ICC T20 World Cup: Key stats
Defending champions Australia will fight for their second ICC T20 World Cup title in the upcoming tournament. With the event taking place Down Under, Aaron Finch's men are one of the favorites for the coveted trophy. They will play their opener against neighbors New Zealand at the SCG on October 22. Here we decode Team Australia's stats in T20 WC.
Semi-finalists in the inaugural event
Having clinched the ODI World Cup a few months before the inaugural World T20 in 2007, Australia stepped into the tournament as firm favorites. The Ricky Ponting-led side suffered a historic five-wicket defeat against Zimbabwe in their opener. Although Australia lost another league game against Pakistan, they managed to qualify for the knock-out stages. The Aussies lost to eventual champions India in the semi-finals.
Forgettable campaign in 2009
Ponting's men couldn't even qualify for the Super Eight stage in the second edition of the tournament, which took place in England. They lost both their group-stage games against West Indies and Sri Lanka, which saw their ouster from the tournament. Australia's duel against the Lankan Lions marked Ponting's final outing in T20I cricket. Michael Clarke was subsequently handed over the reins.
Finalists in 2010
Burying the ghosts of the 2009 event, the Men in Yellow enjoyed a sensational campaign in the 2010 tournament. They clinched six successive games and stepped into the final undefeated. The Aussies, however, couldn't clear the final hurdle as arch-rivals England thrashed them by seven wickets in the summit clash. Craig Kieswetter, who scored 63, was Australia's nemesis on the day.
3rd semi-final appearance in 2012
Under George Bailey's leadership, Australia made it to the semi-finals of the 2012 event, which took place in Sri Lanka. They won their first four games before losing their only league game against Pakistan. Nevertheless, the Aussies qualified for the semi-finals, where they met eventual champions West Indies. In a one-sided contest, Australia suffered a 74-run defeat which ended their campaign.
Dismal campaigns in 2014 and 2016
Australia couldn't clear the group stage in the 2014 event, having lost to India, Pakistan, and WI. They won their solitary game against hosts Bangladesh. Australia couldn't make it to the knock-out stage in 2016 either. Steve Smith's men lost to NZ in their opener before defeating Pakistan and Bangladesh. Their last league game was a virtual qualifier against hosts India, which they lost.
Champions in 2021
The wait was finally over in 2021 as Australia clinched their maiden T20 WC on UAE soil. Aaron Finch's team suffered their only defeat in the tournament against England in the group stage. They defeated Pakistan in the semi-final and subsequently met NZ in the summit clash. Chasing 173 in the final, Australia won by eight wickets. David Warner bagged the Player-of-the-Tournament award
Australia's win tally in T20 WC
Team Australia's tally of 22 wins in 36 games in T20 World Cups is the joint-third-highest for any team. While they share the feat with South Africa, India (23), Pakistan (24) and, Sri Lanka (27) are ahead of them.
Most runs and wickets
David Warner is Australia's highest run-getter in the tournament, having scored 762 runs in 30 games (50s: 6). He stands sixth in the overall list. With 24 wickets in 17 games, Mitchell Starc leads the wicket-taking chart among Australians. Shane Watson (22) and Mitchell Johnson (20) are the other Aussies with at least 20 wickets in the competition.
Other notable records
Dirk Nannes, who also represented Netherlands besides Australia, was the highest wicket-taker in the 2010 event, scalping 14 wickets in seven games. His tally is third highest for a bowler in a single T20 WC. Wanindu Hasaranga (16) and Ajantha Mendis (15) lead the list. Warner scored 289 runs in seven games in the 2021 event, sixth-highest for a player in a single edition.
