Details of the Australia cricket team ahead of the Cricket World Cup 2023. What are the chances of this prolific winning nation, who have lifted The ICC Cricket World Cup trophy an astonishing five times in the past.
Australia World Cup Team
Australia cricket find themselves in the unusual position of not being favourites entering a World Cup. Something unheard of in the 00’s, but it is a reality for this Southern-hemisphere side entering the 2023 tournament. There will be no lack of fight in the Aussies, who have an uncanny nack of making Semi-Finals and Finals.
Australia World Cup Team Information
ODI Ranking: 3
Rating: 112
Highest Previous CWC finish: Winners (1987, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2015)
Captain: Pat Cummins (Bowler)
Squad: Mitchell Marsh (All-rounder), Glenn Maxwell (All-rounder), Steve Smith (Batter), David Warner (Batter), Josh Hazlewood (Bowler), Adam Zampa (Bowler), Alex Carey (Wicket-keeper & Batter), Josh Inglis (Wicket-keeper & Batter), Mitchell Starc (Bowler), Travis Head (Batter), Sean Abbott (Bowler), Marcus Stoinis (All-rounder), Cameron Green (All-rounder), Marnus Labuschagne (Batter)
Australia World Cup schedule 2023
The five times champions have drawn the short straw and got tournament hosts and top ranked ODI side India in their opening match. This could set the tone for the Australian’s who then have to face bitter rivals South Africa 4 days later. It’s not until the later stages of the group stages that the Aussies will face some of the outsiders. They will be hoping they can get through fairly unscathed, but they have some mighty challenges along the way.
India v Australia
14:00, Sun 08 October
MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
Australia v South Africa
14:00, Thu 12 October
BRSABVE Cricket Stadium, Lucknow
Australia v Sri Lanka
14:00, Mon 16 October
BRSABVE Cricket Stadium, Lucknow
Australia v Pakistan
14:00, Fri 20 October
M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
Australia v Netherlands
14:00, Wed 25 October
Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
Australia v New Zealand
10:30, Sat 28 October
HPCA Stadium, Dharamsala
England v Australia
14:00 Sat 04 November
Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
Australia v Afghanistan
14:00 Tue 07 November
Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Australia v Bangladesh
10:30 Sat 11 November
MCA International Stadium, Pune
Bookmakers like Australia’s chances of making their way through the groups and into the Semi-Finals. However, surprisingly they are less fancied by odds compilers to make the final to compared to India, Pakistan, and England. This is likely to add fuel to their campaign, for a country that loves being the underdog.
The ODI History of Australia
We can’t talk about One Day International cricket without discussing Australia. This is the most successful team in the history of the Cricket World Cup, with the team from Down Under regularly regarded as betting favourites to be champions due to the strength that they have had in reserve with bat and ball.
First ever World Cup match
Australia played their first ever ODI match when clashing with England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 5 January 1971, with the team having been crowned champions on five separate occasions.
Multiple World Cup winners
The first of these Cricket World Cup successes came in 1987, while they doubled their tally in 1999 and have since kicked on to secure back-to-back triumphs in 2003 and 2007.
Five times champions
In 2015, Australia added a fifth title and they were successful against fellow co-host New Zealand in the final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. On that occasion, the Aussies won by seven wickets and the champions were able to get the job done after just 33 overs and scoring the requisite 186 runs.
The maiden success in 1987 occurred when India and Pakistan co-hosted the Cricket World Cup, with Australia and England playing out an exciting final where the former was able to record a seven-run victory at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
Generational talent
However, the purple patch came between 1999 and 2007 where this sport-mad nation were able to dominate the landscape. It came at a time when a rich crop of players came through and the first of these successes came when Australia completely dominated a Lord’s final where Pakistan were handsomely beaten.
In 2003, it was South Africa’s turn to host the Cricket World Cup and it was once again a case of Australia rising to the challenge in the final. Once again, this was a one-sided affair where India were beaten by an enormous margin and the latter just couldn’t get close to their opponents.
The 2007 success was achieved through the Duckworth-Lewis method when the Aussies lined up at Kensington Oval at Bridgetown where Sri Lanka were toppled in the final. Then came the 2015 triumph.
Who Holds the ODI Records for Australia?
There are some impressive statistics when it comes to One Day International cricket in Australia, with Ricky Ponting someone who thrived in this format for their country. Ponting stood down after hitting over 13,500 runs during 364 innings which were accrued during 374 matches.
Ponting continues to be the only player who has managed over 10,000 runs, with Adam Gilchrist having not only been a great wicket keeper but also someone who is second in the pecking order. 9,595 runs means that he is second in the order, while Mark Waugh is next in the standings and he racked up 8,500 runs in 244 matches.
Bowling-wise, Glenn McGrath has managed 381 wickets and that is a serious number that was achieved between 1993-2007, while Brett Lee sits just one wicket behind him and there is also a place for the legendary late Shane Warne. The spinner managed a remarkable 291 wickets between 1993-2003.
