How Australia can turn their ODI fortunes around against their neighbours

Cutting out the mistakes

Australia’s fielding must improve

To turn things around in this series, Australia need to cut out the little mistakes that cost them in South Africa and right through the year, in fact. Some have affected the results of matches and they cannot afford that to continue especially with the Champions Trophy around the corner.

What do they need to fix?

#1 Fielding and catching

Australia have never looked so poor on the cricket field. Their fielders drop catches with such frequency that one wonders whether fielding is anymore a drill during their practice sessions. They have dropped quite a few costly catches this year and their slip fielders and outfielders have been terrible.

If they need any motivation, they need not look around too much. They were eye witness to some exceptional fielding by the Proteas during the recent Test series. Wherever they search for redemption, Australia need to field and catch better to win matches.

#2 The lower middle order

There was a time Australia had a scary lower order comprising of Andrew Symonds, Brad Haddin, Mitchell Johnson and Brett Lee. They could very well form numbers 3-7. That Australian batting line-up is a thing of the past and the present one looks weak after no.5 with Mitchell Marsh, Matthew Wade, Mitchell Starc and Adam Zampa not as gifted with the bat.

On good bowling wickets, Australia cannot afford to lose wickets up front because if they do, they rarely come back. Australia need to find some inspiring performances from their lower middle if they are to stand a chance of winning the series.

#3 The big hundreds and huge scores

The big hundreds, except from David Warner, who has been absolutely phenomenal, have vanished from Australian batsmen. None of Steven Smith, Aaron Finch, Glenn Maxwell, George Bailey or Matthew Wade have hit a huge hundred since the World Cup. In fact, Australia's batting in 2016 has faded off. In times where teams rack up 300s with ease, Australia have struggled to get to that mark.

Since the series against India in January, Australia have crossed 300 just once, the 371 against South Africa in the recent ODI series, and even that they lost courtesy a blazing David Miller knock. The big hundreds and big 300s need to comeback for Australia to start dominating in ODIs more.