ICC T20 World Cup 2016: 5 Hits and 5 Misses from the Super 10 Stage

Miss: Australia

The Australians failed to impose themselves.

Yes, Australia haven’t been the most consistent team when it comes to T20 internationals. And yes, they lost a couple of series against India and South Africa in the build-up to the World T20.

However, ICC tournaments bring out the best in Australia and they were considered as one of the pre-tournament favorites. Contrary to expectations though, a string of inconsistent performances meant that the Aussies ignominiously flew back home at the end of the first round.

In the first game against New Zealand, the Kangaroos had the game by the scruff of its neck when they were 100-4 in 15 overs chasing a target of 143. However, they blew away the advantage as they succumbed to some quality spin bowling by the Kiwi spinners.

They did win their next game versus Bangladesh. That win, though, must be attributed to Bangladesh’s inability to latch on to key moments rather than Australia’s game.

The World Champions went on to score a convincing win over Pakistan, only to falter against India. A major reason why the Aussies didn’t click was the constant chopping and changing that their playing XI underwent. 14 out of their 15 squad players were tried in 4 games which meant that they never really looked like a settled unit.

Moreover, the slow nature of the wickets meant that Australia’s weakness against spin was laid bare again, a factor which significantly debilitated their strong batting.