3 big areas of concern for Australia in T20Is despite beating Sri Lanka 4-1

Australia defeated Sri Lanka 4-1 in the recently concluded T20 series Down Under. The 2021 WT20 champions might have won the series convincingly but things could have been different had a few details gone awry during the matches.

Captain Aaron Finch will be a relieved man to have won the couple of close contests, without which they might have even lost the series 2-3.

Mitchell Marsh and David Warner were rested for the series. Pacers Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood were released from the bubble after the first three games, further weakening their squad.

Australia are scheduled to visit Pakistan next. It will be their first visit to Pakistan in 20 years and unless the Aussies work on their game, the situation could get tough for them.

On that note, let us take a look at the three biggest areas of concern for them based on their 4-1 series win against Sri Lanka

#3 Aaron Finch's poor form

Aaron Finch has struggled with the bat for quite some time now. His struggles with the foot movement has been exposed by several bowlers since 2021.

78 runs in five matches in the recently concluded Sri Lanka series are not good numbers for an Australian captain. He has averaged 15.6 and his strike rate is 91.6 (poor by T20 standards).

Finch moved himself down the order to come in at number three. However, that move has not worked either. Finch's form will be a cause of concern heading into Pakistan.

#2 Inconsistency of Maxwell and Stoinis

A lot was expected from the Big Show in the home series.

Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis were the two big all-rounders in the team in the series against Sri Lanka as Mitchell Marsh was rested. However, both Maxwell and Stoinis had poor outings by their lofty standards.

Maxwell notched up 138 runs in five matches, with the highest score of 48. He also struggled to get going against the spinners. Maxwell was sparsely used by Finch with the ball and picked up one wicket in four overs.

Australia v Sri Lanka - T20 Series: Game 3

Stoinis amassed 86 runs in five matches and picked up one wicket in eight overs. Finch attempted to use him both as an opening bowler and a death over finisher, but Stoinis failed with the ball in both positions.

Marsh is set to return for the Pakistan series and Ashton Agar has done well so far. Hence, the pressure will be on Stoinins to turn it around quickly.

#1 Mitchell Starc bowling woes

Starc has been struggling with form since the WT20 in UAE last year.

Mitchell Starc participated in only two matches against Sri Lanka. It was perhaps a blessing that he was rested after that. Starc went wicketless on both matches, while giving away plenty of runs.

His yorkers were missing the mark and he was not good in the deal overs either. With bowlers like Kane and Jhye Richardson doing well lately, Starc will have to work hard to find his way back into the team.