5 Australian players to watch out for in the 2015 World Cup

After a relatively early exit (by their lofty standards) in the 2011 World Cup, the Aussies will be looking to bounce back and regain their crown when the 2015 edition kicks off, a short while from now. While they may not possess the same kind of ammunition which triggered an inspired run on either side of the changing millennium, and have been plagued by a few mediocre performances in recent years, the Australians have regrouped into a strong One Day International (ODI) unit, and in home conditions, will start off as one of the tournament favourites.Here’s looking at 5 key Australian players to watch out for in the 2015 World Cup:

#1 David Warner

In order to ensure a fair spread in selection, the toss up for a spot here was between David Warner and Aaron Finch, both of whom have been in outstanding form in recent times. If selection is made purely on the basis of numbers, Finch outscored Warner by a fair distance in 2014, but as history has proven, World Cup performances and data crunching do not necessarily go hand in hand.

The diminutive left-hander was in searing form in the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar series, and appears to have carried his form into the shorter format as well, scoring a swashbuckling century in the opening game of the ongoing tri-series.

A key differentiator is the renewed emotional content Warner brings to the table in the aftermath of Phillip Hughes’s death. The epoch tragedy has engulfed all, but the southpaw appears to have channelized the hurt into an insatiable urge for runs. With Hughes’s shadow undoubtedly looming large over the 2015 edition, Warner would definitely want to stamp his authority over the tournament in memory of his departed mate, something which may not augur too well for his opponents.

#2 Steven Smith

For the man who racked up records by the dozen against a hapless Indian bowling attack in the 2014-15 Border-Gavaskar series, Steven Smith has looked a bit more human in the ongoing tri-series, but remains one of the most dangerous, as well as consistent, batsmen in the Australian line-up.

Touted to be a worthy successor of Shane Warne and Stuart MacGill when he first arrived on the scene, Smith’s grit and slightly unconventional technique are more reminiscent of his namesake Steve Waugh, a man who lifted his ODI game when on the greatest podium, with 1987 and 1999 bearing the best testimonies to that.

I do not expect Smith’s bowling to create much of an impact, but his superhuman antics in the field, his new-found love for the spider cam notwithstanding, can change the course of the game anytime.

#3 Glenn Maxwell

To include him or not to include him – that was the question. When the answer involves Glenn Maxwell, either side of the fence is dangerous, given the number of supporters for both cases. I have given precedence to his game-changing abilities over his seeming buffoonery when his batting doesn’t come off.

An interesting parallel can be drawn with Yusuf Pathan who found himself in a similar situation in the run-up to the 2011 tournament – both explosive batsman and part-time off-spinners, with their best performances reserved for the IPL. Pathan did not exactly set the stage ablaze in 2011, but he would have been a front-runner for a similar list back then.

On his day, the Big Show can annihilate any bowling attack, and when in full flow, appears equally at ease against both pace and spin. Irrespective of his performance in the ongoing tri-series, Maxwell is likely to find himself a key cog in the Australian middle-order in the marquee tournament, and on the days he fires, an Aussie victory can just about be guaranteed.

#4 James Faulkner

Perhaps Australia’s Most Valuable Player in ODI cricket in 2014, James Faulkner not only ended as the country’s highest wicket-taker in ODIs last year, but also etched a name for himself with several late flourishes with the bat, more often than not resulting in an Aussie victory.

Often coming on first or second change, after what is inevitably an aggressive and containing show by the opening bowlers, Faulkner tempts batsmen to go after him with seemingly innocuous medium pace deliveries, in the process picking up a pile.

In addition to his happy knack of picking up wickets, Faulkner scored close to 300 runs in 2014, at an average of 44 and strike-rate of almost 100. These runs are worth their weight in gold, often coming in crunch situations at the death, so much so that stand-in captain George Bailey recently commented: “It is almost written in Faulkner's contract that he has to score the winning runs."

#5 Mitchell Starc

Probably my most ‘influenced’ decision while compiling this list, Mitchell Starc would have featured nowhere in my thoughts a month earlier, after an uninspiring show in the 2nd Test in the 2015 Border-Gavaskar series at Brisbane.

Allegedly dismissed as ‘soft’ by Aussie legend Shane Warne during the Gabba Test, a dig which Starc apparently took to heart, the tall pacer was a different bowler in the 4th Test and has been virtually unplayable in the ongoing tri-series.

My allegiances have been with another Mitchell for a while now, but if Starc maintains his current rhythm, swinging the ball both ways at high pace, he could be the Australian trump card in the WC, a la the great Wasim Akram in 1992.