Australia’s leadership problem might not actually be a problem
No Australian captain’s reputation can have yo-yoed so dramatically during a single summer as Michael Clarke’s these last few months. Embarrassingly contradicted by his employer before the Indian Test series, he galvanised all of Australian cricket in the aftermath of Phillip Hughes’s death. A hundred and an inspirational win thereafter were counterweighted by the near inevitability of his summer-ending injury, then a lauded stint in the commentary box was tarnished by allegations that Clarke was coughing up valuable team intel.
Amid an unseemly public battle with his bosses Clarke faces another fitness ultimatum now, a fraught one seen by some as setting him up to fail. But you wonder in all of this toing and froing whether we’ve lost sight of the bigger picture. Clarke’s deputy George Bailey has problems of his own; 17 runs in three innings during the Tri-Series being an accurate reflection of his waning form so if Clarke makes it back and remains fit he can hardly offer less with the bat, as was the fear when Australia’s squad was selected.
As Clarke and Bailey fight their own individual battles, heir-presumptive Steve Smith remains in the form of his life, never looking anything other than a lock-in for big runs and also leading the side capably when required. Australia’s worst-case scenario – that Clarke doesn’t regain fitness and Bailey fails to justify his place in the side – is therefore not the headache it could be. World Cup history is full of successful sides that emerged from indifferent form and leadership instability, but despite appearances Australia honestly don’t have much cause for concern on either front.
Glenn Maxwell remains a match-winner
If Bailey needs any inspiration to reinforce how quickly form can turn around, he need look no further than Maxwell’s recent return to his joyous, unpredictable best. The Victorian looked bereft only a few weeks back but seems have blocked out all of the noise and, emboldened by the faith of selectors, he produced a match-winning performance in Sunday’s final.
There remains a po-faced stubbornness about Maxwell’s most vocal critics but that’s inevitable given the gulf between his best and worst. For every moment of improvisation and inspiration in the his near-century at the Waca Ground, there was an accompanying fresh-air shot or near-dismissal. When Maxwell bats well it’s not so much a case of your heart being in your mouth as your brain melting down from being asked to compute too many moments of total lunacy at once. An XI comprised entirely of Maxwells might fray the nerves beyond repair but having just one is an asset to Australia and a nagging concern to its opponents.
There’s an irony too now that Australia – fond in the early days of T20 internationals of adopting out-dated or incompatible strategies from the 50-over game – now boast an ODI batting line-up that plays at a frenetic tempo so close to the shortest format. None of Maxwell, David Warner, Aaron Finch, Mitch Marsh or James Faulkner will perish wondering if they should have chanced their arm a little more.
James Faulkner’s fitness is a bigger concern than that of Michael Clarke
If that seems an exaggeration, consider the number of match-shaping lower order innings Faulkner has played in the last 18 months; the 24-ball half-century against England on Sunday; 69 from 29 and 116 from 73 – Australia’s fastest ever ODI century – against India in late 2013; the undefeated 69 from 47 to crush England at Brisbane in 2014. It’s happening too often now to ignore as a factor in Australia’s resurgence during the same period.
Within the Australian squad at least, Faulkner’s redefined the finisher role from the strike-turning prudence of Michaels Bevan and Hussey to the kind of muscular belligerence that spreads fields and induces panic. The side strain he picked up in the Tri-Series final – to be the subject of intense treatment of the coming fortnight – is the injury that Australia should sweat on most.
If Faulkner is ruled out, Marsh is no slouch and shares with Faulkner a knack for making any ground look small with his flat, brutal hitting. The man most likely to come into the squad if Faulkner is sidelined is Moises Henriques, fresh from a sterling rearguard innings in the Big Bash League final and about as versatile and reliable a cricketer as exists outside the finalised World Cup squads. Without Faulkner though, Australia would lack a chief intimidator.
Brad Haddin might have hung on a little too long
Not that you can blame him or the selectors. It’s not unreasonable that after his stoic and match-turning efforts in the 2013-14 Ashes triumph and under-appreciated contribution to Australia’s rankings renaissance, Haddin bought himself some time and readjusted his gaze to this World Cup. At 37, it’s also inevitable that signs of decay become more noticeable. Is Haddin in Australia’s best ODI team anymore though? Right now his batting is more miss than hit. No-one has benefitted more from the emergence of Marsh and Faulkner than Haddin, whose modest returns have often been masked by the mayhem occurring at the other end.
A commanding 42 not out to guide Australia home against England at Hobart was his best effort of the Tri-Series by far and that’s the kind of offering that the selectors and his team-mates have always counted upon, but like Maxwell, Haddin’s get-out shots tend to linger in the memory, as do his penchant for shambolic run-outs. Still, no-one in this Australian squad is better at making critics eat their words than Brad Haddin.
Australia’s first-choice bowling configuration remains unsettled
Though his white-ball prowess has never been in doubt, there must have been something reassuring to Darren Lehman and co about the sight of Mitchell Starc hooping the ball around like Wasim Akram the last few weeks. On their home tracks, Australia’s one-two punch of Starc and Mitchell Johnson and the bouncy pace of Josh Hazlewood will be a compelling proposition, but in what configuration they and Pat Cummins appear during the World Cup remains to be seen.
First-choice spinner Xavier Doherty had limited opportunities during the Tri-Series and at the World Cup Australia might occasionally look to squeeze 10 overs out of a combination of Maxwell, Marsh and Shane Watson rather than play their specialist spinner. Though Australia will rotate their pacemen in the World Cup’s early stages as they did in the past few weeks, Cummins was profligate and short of wickets during the Tri-Series and might carry the drinks more often than not.
