ICC T20 World Cup 2020: Five reasons why Australia can win their maiden title

The grandest T20 event of the world, the ICC T20 World Cup, is slated to take place later this year. The ICC initiated this tournament in 2007 and India emerged as the first winners of the then World T20. West Indies have won the trophy twice while England, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka have lifted the title once.

Surprisingly, the most successful team in ODI World Cup history, Australia, have never been able to win the championship in the shortest format of the game. The Aussies reached the final of the 2010 event where they fell short against England to finish as the runners-up.

In the last edition of the global tournament, Australia got eliminated in the group stage after losing the matches versus India and New Zealand. However, this year, they will be the favourites to win the first global event of the new decade as the ICC World T20 will be played in their own backyard.

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#1 The prolific opening partnership of Warner and Finch

Aaron Finch, one part of a world beating opening partnership

Australia has perhaps the best opening combination in T20I cricket at the moment. While India has the pair of Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan, it is unknown whether we will see them bat together looking at the rise of KL Rahul. Thus, Aussie skipper Aaron Finch and David Warner will be the best opening pair in the tournament.

Finch is a player who starts off a bit slow but smashes the ball monstrously once he gets settled in the middle. He holds the record for the highest score in T20I cricket as well has another score over 150 to his name.

On the other hand, Warner provides the right hand-left hand dynamic to this combination. The Sunrisers Hyderabad captain can wreak havoc in the middle right from the word go. He had a terrific home summer and the left-handed batsman will look to continue his fine form in 2020.

#2 Dynamic lower-order batsmen

Australia's biggest asset- Glen Maxwell

The fans would remember that Australia recently crushed the world number 1 T20 side, Pakistan, in a three-match series. Babar Azam’s men looked absolutely clueless against the Aussies and the one thing everyone should keep in mind is that Australia played that series without the services of their key all-rounder and game changer Glen Maxwell.

Maxwell, who had taken a break from cricket, was set to join the squad for the South African tour, however, an injury sidelined him once again. Still, Australia was the favorite to win the series and they ended up thrashing the Proteas by more than 90 runs in two games and losing out on a close game in the second match of the series.

The main reason behind it is the presence of multiple game-changers in their squad. Players like Alex Carey, Ashton Agar, and Ashton Turner can change the course of the match in a few balls. Add Maxwell to the mix and Australia has one of the most destructive death overs batting units out there.

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#3 The calming influence of Steve Smith

Australia will have the services of Steven Smith to guide them especially in chases

Australia’s best Test batsman, Steve Smith is not the biggest hitters of the ball but, the right-handed batsman has perfect knowledge of the game. He knows to play as per the situation of the match. Smith can strike the boundaries as per the need of the team or he can keep the scoreboard ticking with ones and twos if the team loses early wickets.

He even provides his bit to the leadership group. The fact that he was a part of the Big Bash League winning Sydney Sixers squad shows his special talent.

Although he will not likely be the captain of the home side, Smith will boost Australia’s chances of winning the trophy with his wit, skills, and excellence on the field. His calming influence in the middle where he goes about his business in his usual trademark style will be a huge boost for Australia.

#4 Bowling attack led by Mitchell Starc

Australia's speed machine- Mitchell Starc

The conditions in Australia will favor the quick bowlers and the likes of Mitchell Starc, Sean Abbott, Kane Richardson, Pat Cummins, and Billy Stanlake will make life very difficult for the opposition batsmen. Starc was the Man of the Tournament when Australia won the World Cup in 2015.

Abbott too can trouble the batsmen with his pace while Cummins recently earned a record ₹15.50 crore bid in the IPL Auction which shows his worth. They also have the likes of Kane Richardson who with his bag of tricks can be a perfect foil to the speed of Starc and Cummins.

Stanlake has the advantage of his height whereas Australia will have Josh Hazlewood as the back-up in their pace bowling attack. With several fast bowlers impressing in the Big Bash League as well, the home nation will have an abundance of fast bowling talent in their squad and as the pitches will be tailor-made for them.

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#5 Home advantage

The iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground(MCG)

For the first time in the history of T20 World Cups, the tournament will be hosted by Australia. So far, the tournament has been played in South Africa, England, West Indies, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and India. It shows that the Australian team has more or less been out of their comfort zone. The Asian conditions support the spin bowlers more and thus Australia have not performed up to the expectations.

Besides, the home fans will also be behind the team this year. The fans had seen how Australia won the 2015 ICC World Cup when they were one of the hosts of the tournament. So, given that they are the sole host of the tourney this year, they can be backed to replicate their ODI success in the T20 format.