Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting opined on Australia’s chances for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, saying that they have a “chance as good as anybody” to get their second title and shared that the “flexibility” within the team due to the presence of so many all-rounders.
“If you look at the squad, I think they have as good a chance as anybody,” Ponting said on the Australian side as quoted by the ICC. “India probably start as the clear favourites, I think, in this event due to conditions, the talent and the group of players that they have put together. They will be hard to beat, but I really do think we will see Australia there come semi-final time.”
Ricky Ponting also said that despite “slight transition” within the team after the retirements of David Warner (from all international cricket) and Mitchell Starc (in T20Is), Australia still has a lot of chance to do well.
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“A few guys are injured at the moment or coming back from injury. That is probably the biggest concern that they have got right now. The one thing they have got in that squad is really good flexibility with so many all-rounders. You look at (Marcus) Stoinis, (Glenn) Maxwell, Cameron Green, there is so many. Cooper Connolly. Young guy that has just won the MVP again in the BBL (Big Bash League) for the second year in row. If it looks like it will turn, I think Australia will go with Connolly to back up Maxwell and (Adam) Zampa. So, they have got three spin bowling options there,” he shared.
“Josh Inglis is someone that they could bat at number if they wanted to as well. And then they have got that experience in the middle with Maxwell and Stoinis and Co. It is a very good squad. But the thing I know about these ICC events is, one, they’re hard to win, because all the best teams in the world are playing in them, and if you want to win it, you have to have all your good players playing well at the right time. That is what Australia probably didn’t have last time around. They just did not have their big guns firing at the right time to win an event,” he concluded.
Australia T20 World Cup squad: Mitchell Marsh (C), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis, Cameron Green, Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matt Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Renshaw, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa, Sean Abbott (travelling reserve)
