Barring Team India, Australia have been the next most prolific team in the 2023 Cricket World Cup.
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The five-time champions were off to a shaky start with defeats to India and South Africa, but have gone from strength to strength ever since, winning eight straight matches, including the semi-final against South Africa, to reach the World Cup final, and set up a title clash against India in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
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So what are Australia’s strengths?
Batting. Batting has been Australia’s major positive in the World Cup so far. At the start of the World Cup, there were concerns over Australia’s opening combination with Travis Head absent due to injury. However, Mitchell Marsh took the opportunity with both hands, and despite single-figure returns against India and South Africa, Marsh went onto score 52 and 121 against Sri Lanka and Pakistan respectively.
And once Travis Head returned for the second half of the tournament, he returned with a bang. Against New Zealand, Head would go onto slam his maiden World Cup century, a knock of 109 to announce his arrival in the tournament in style. For Head, it was all about hitting right from the word go, taking on Trent Boult and Matt Henry with full power while punishing the Kiwi spinners for their poor deliveries.
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He would go onto reach his century off just 59 balls, hitting the third-fastest World Cup century by an Australian.
Then there’s David Warner. He has been there done that in previous editions of the World Cup, and it was no different for him with the bat in this World Cup.
Like Marsh, Warner would rather endure an inconsistent start with just 65 runs in first three games, but would turn it around with fine centuries against Pakistan and Netherlands.
That was then followed by a knock of 81 against New Zealand in Dharamsala, where he forged a 175-run stand with Head for the first wicket.
Thus far, Warner has scored 528 runs from 10 matches with two centuries and as many fifties, and the 37-year-old does not seem like he will stop anytime soon.
And who can forget Glenn Maxwell’s heroics against Afghanistan? That might have been a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the all-rounder, but his unbeaten double century on that day certainly reinstated belief in many that anything was possible for a team like Australia on any given day, and any given situation.
All in all, various batters have stepped up on different occasions, especially this quartet of Warner, Marsh, Head and Maxwell, which is why the five-time champions have been a resilient batting outfit.
Adam Zampa supremacy
In a tournament where their regular pace trio of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood seem to be rather below-par, Australia spinner Adam Zampa has stood out.
Even before the World Cup, spin was bound to play a major role in the tournament, and Adam Zampa seems to have relished the opportunity.
Not only has he gone wicketless on only two out of the 10 occasions, Zampa went onto take three consecutive four-fers, and two back-to-back three-wicket hauls, all in the same tournament.
Having said that, with 22 wickets to his name, Zampa is in the reckoning for finishing the World Cup with most wickets, but faces tough competition against the top bowler in the tournament currently, Mohammed Shami (23 wickets).
Come the final, Adam Zampa is going to be a major threat when India face him. A lot has changed already since the last time Australia faced India (On 8 October), especially for the 31-year-old, who has elevated himself to an outstanding position this World Cup among the spinners.
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