After a disappointing 2022, where to next for Australia’s T20 team in 2023?
REWINDING THE CLOCK
The success of Australia at the Twenty20 (T20) World Cup in the Arab gulf in 2021 caught many by surprise due to the fact the squad they took seemed a little stale, two-dimensional, and lagging behind the tactical trends dominating the shortest form of cricket.
They had kept faith with an ageing core group of players that had largely been turning out for Australia across formats, somewhat ignorant of the existence of or need for T20 format specialists it appeared.
As it turned out, that unfancied side centred around captain Aaron Finch (36), star batter David Warner (36) and the long-trusted pace trio of Pat Cummins (29), Mitchell Starc (32) and Josh Hazlewood (31) defied Australian and international expectations to go on and win the tournament.
Their triumph was slightly tainted by the unusually outsize role of the toss at the tournament, where it seemed that whoever won the toss, won the match. Nonetheless, star performances were turned out by leg-spinner Adam Zampa (30) with the ball, Mitchell Marsh (31) and Warner at the top of the order and, most surprisingly, wicketkeeper Matthew Wade (35) in the lower order as their heroic finisher.
That World Cup win galvanised the side ahead of preparations for the next T20 World Cup to be held almost exactly one year later on home soil in October and November 2022.
The success in 2021, plus the short turnaround between tournaments, made it almost unfathomable that the composition of the side would be altered much despite a fair bit of pressure mounting on the largely runless shoulders of captain Finch, whose struggles would continue right up until and through the 2022 tournament.
A TOURNAMENT TO FORGET
For the 2022 T20 World Cup, the national selectors opted for a pretty much identical side to the 2021 winning group aside from the notable inclusion of lower-order batter Tim David (26), whose franchise form had made him virtually impossible to ignore any longer. He came into the lineup at the expense of Steve Smith (33), who, for all his ability, was beginning to look like the type of cricketer that T20 sides no longer had room for.
The tournament started, and possibly ended, for Australia in their first match when they were absolutely outclassed by an exuberant New Zealand side on the back of a blistering start from Finn Allen (23) with the bat. That opening loss put them under immense pressure to win their remaining matches and win them big in order to rectify their hugely dented net run rate (NRR).
A rained-out match with England didn’t help their chances to turn things around and, despite England doing them a favour in losing to Ireland and Australia winning their three other matches, the Aussies' inferior NRR meant that they finished third in the group and missed the semi-finals in inglorious fashion.
Their underwhelming tournament outing rendered a recent world champion side suddenly impotent.
The very same players who lifted the trophy in late 2021 suddenly looked like an outdated iteration of a T20 team - almost like a one-day international (ODI) side masquerading in a 20-over world unwilling or unable to keep up with the technical and tactical advances in the game.
Their matches were marked by a distinct frustration boiling over as they uncharacteristically criticised each other on the field as the tournament slipped away from them over by over.
Perhaps the most defining image of all was that of hapless captain Finch battling away against Sri Lanka, the pain on his face deepening with every mistimed shot as Marcus Stoinis (33) hit six after six at the other end to take the game home.
It was almost as if Finch couldn’t get out, no matter how hard he tried. His arduous 31 off 42 balls (not out) looked more like a kind of Chinese water torture than a match-winning innings. Every shot Finch attempted only seemed to further confirm the sad (and now obvious) truth that he was well past his best and perhaps out of his depth, too.
Finch’s retention as captain for the tournament was bemoaned by some in the lead-up but wasn’t so controversial. It had been clear for some time that his form was in sharp decline but, as mentioned, the fast turnaround between tournaments, coupled with the lack of an obvious replacement in his wake, meant that his continuation at the helm was widely accepted as a sensible move and a chance to offer a swansong of sorts for a legend of Australian limited-overs cricket.
Ultimately, Finch struggled through the tournament and picked up an injury to boot. His presence became emblematic of the desperate need for the Australian selectors to reinvent the T20 side before the next World Cup in 2024 to be hosted by the USA and West Indies.
ONTO 2023 AND BEYOND
Interestingly, Australia has no T20 International (T20I) commitments penned in for at least the next six months. What this means is that there is a lot of time without opportunities to bring through players but a lot of franchise cricket happening for players to make a case for themselves for when the next T20I engagement comes around.
Also of interest, Finch has not declared himself retired and has not suggested he wishes to step down as captain just yet. Despite retiring from ODIs, he is playing for the Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash League (BBL) currently with an eye on continuing in the shortest format internationally.
Cricket Australia has not made any sudden movements in terms of replacing Finch as captain or even hinting at a successor but they did name Cummins as his successor in the 50-over format.
Despite no clarity over the captaincy, Finch's place in the side is now close to untenable based on form alone. What’s more, by the next World Cup (June 2024) he will be 38 years old.
Speaking of ageing, at that point, fellow stalwart Warner will be 38 himself and may already have made way, too. What's more, it’s hard to imagine Steve Smith remaining involved with the T20 side by then as well as he's already lost his place in the XI.
As for the bowlers, Cummins has failed to impress in this form of the game and it is hard to imagine his body taking on all three formats for too much longer. Starc will be 34 by the next World Cup and might have been phased out by then as well.
Incumbent first choices players such as Hazlewood, Stoinis, Zampa, Marsh, David, Wade and Glenn Maxwell (34) are likely to remain key players in the short-to-medium term. Although Stonis will be 34, Maxwell 35, and Wade 36 by the time the next World Cup comes around.
The failure of the team to perform and convince in the 2022 World Cup, as well as the age profile of this core group, make this coming year the time for the Australian selectors to try a different tack with the T20 team, to blood some younger talent, and to bring through the next generation with an eye on the World Cup in 2024 and beyond.
The question is - who are the next crop of players to take Australia’s T20 team forward?
In an attempt to answer that question, below is an XI of players under the age of 30 that could soon emerge to become vital components of the Australian T20 setup this coming year and beyond.
THE NEXT GENERATION
Travis Head (28) - Not considered a T20 specialist, Head has made his name mostly in Australia’s test team. After a patchy start to his international career, he has really come on in terms of confidence and explosiveness in the last year and recently excelled as an ODI opener after Finch made way. He threw his hat into the Indian Premier League (IPL) ring at this year’s auction but wasn’t picked up. Despite not having the most eye-catching T20 figures to date, Head is a player in sizzling form and one who no doubt has his eyes on a spot at the top of Australia’s T20 batting order after all but securing that role in the ODI team this season. Expect the selectors to give him another go in the T20 side as soon as the opportunity next arises as they search for a new long-term opening pair to take the team forward.
Josh Philippe (25) - A wicketkeeper/batsman who has also already had opportunities in the side, Phillippe has established himself as one of the most exciting batting talents in the BBL in recent years but hasn’t quite kicked on as expected. Much like Josh Inglis and Ben McDermott, he could equally be picked as a ‘keeper or a specialist batsman and will have his sights set on being established in the team by 2024. He had a good but not great 21/22 BBL campaign with the Sydney Sixers and this season will be crucial for him to make his case through weight of runs. He hasn’t lit the tournament alight just yet and needs to turn his immense potential into performances before other players jump ahead of him in the pecking order.
Josh Inglis (27) - Inglis has been in and around the T20 team already. Another wicketkeeper/batsman, he has been behind Wade in line for the gloveman’s duties for a while, as well as on the fringes of the ODI and test teams. He has been picked as a specialist batsman from time to time as well. His flexibility in the batting order and his 360-degree stroke play make him an ideal option and he is probably the next cab off the rank if and when a position frees up in the Aussie batting lineup. He’s currently second in the BBL run charts for the ongoing season (after five games) with an impressive strike rate of just over 160 playing for the Perth Scorchers. If he finishes the season as strong as he has started it, he might just be unignorable for the national team.
Jason Sangha (23) - A batsman who can bowl a bit of leg spin, Sangha was elevated to the captaincy for the Syndey Thunder for this season’s BBL after the push to overturn Warner's captaincy ban fell by the wayside. Sangha has previously captained the Australian U-19s team to a World Cup, has already made a first-class breakthrough for NSW, and has four first-class centuries to his name. It’s an impressive resume for such a young man and while his current BBL season has been cut short by a fractured collarbone, he finished last season as the tournament’s fifth-highest run-scorer. Sangha looks destined to have a long international career across formats and the T20 side could be the best place to blood him as he continues to develop his skillset.
Cameron Green (23) - Allrounder Green was picked up by the Mumbai Indians at this year’s auction, becoming the second most expensive signing in IPL history. Despite quite limited experience in domestic or international T20 cricket, there is massive hype around Green after he exploded onto the scene during a bilateral T20I series in India before the World Cup. The selectors were obviously desperate to crow-bar him into the World Cup squad after that. A freakish injury to Inglis in the lead-up allowed them to squeeze him in but he didn’t play a major role. Expect Green to be a key part of the side going forward either as an opening batsman or lower down the order. He still needs to grow into the format a bit but no one doubts his potential to become a star with the bat and the bowl.
Matthew Short (27) - Uncapped internationally, Short has been one of the standout performers of this season’s BBL in the first few rounds. He opens the batting for Adelaide Strikers and balls tidy off-breaks in the power play as well. After the first five rounds of the tournament, he is in the top four runscorers and in the top three spinners in terms of wickets taken. He was way up there in the runs chart last season, too. His all-round abilities make him a handy option for any side and Short could be the obvious choice to replace Maxwell in the longer term. One to keep an eye on for sure.
Hayden Kerr (26) - A sturdy left-arm seamer who also offers big-hitting ability in the lower order, Kerr established himself in the Sixers BBL side last season. In 21/22 he took 25 wickets (second only to Peter Siddle) at an economy rate of 7.50. With the bat, he stood out with a massive top score of 98 not out. This season, he’s making an impact in both innings for the Sixers once again. Surely, Kerr isn’t far off international selection. Although Australia is blessed with pace-bowling allrounders in Marsh (if fit to bowl), Stoinis and now Green as well, Kerr’s lefthandedness sets him apart from that group and could offer him a route into the side.
Nathan Ellis (28) - One of the few pace bowlers used by Australia recently that you could reasonably label a T20 specialist, Ellis was used in the lead-up to the World Cup but Kane Richardson was preferred as the fourth seamer in the squad. A bowler full of clever variations and the ability to bowl well at the death, Ellis has already forged a healthy reputation as one of Australia’s better bowlers in the format. He will be heading into his third season with the Punjab Kings in the IPL in 2023 and he featured in The Hundred this year as well, only further confirming his credentials. Whether or not the likes of Cummins and Starc choose to continue on in T20Is, Ellis already has a pretty good case to dislodge one of them in the team based on his output and format-specific skills.
Henry Thornton (26)- An emerging pace bowler, Thornton recently made the headlines for taking 5/3 as the Strikers incredibly bowled the Thunder out for just 15 in the BBL. He has surged to the top of the league’s wicket-taking charts this season and if he keeps up his current streak, will surely be given a chance to impress at some stage. It’s not easy to break into the Australian team as a fast bowler given the dominance of Cummins, Starc and Hazlewood and then the backup depth of Ellis, Kane Richardson, Jhye Richardson, and Riley Meredith, but Thornton has now thrown his name into that cabal of bowling options as well.
Lance Morris (24) - They call him the ‘wild thing’ although he isn’t too fond of the name. One of the fastest young bowlers in the country, Morris was catapulted to prominence recently after hitting the top of the Sheffield Shield wicket-taking charts and then being fast-tracked into the test squad as a backup for the West Indies and South Africa series. While Morris hasn’t played an enormous amount in the BBL, his elevation to the test set-up goes to show how much raw potential he has. IPL franchises have been sniffing around him too, however, he wasn’t drafted in this year's auction. Every side can do with genuine pace in it and that is what Morris offers. His numbers aren’t great yet but the selectors will be monitoring him in the hope that he develops into a fearsome strike bowler.
Tanveer Sangha (21) - Zampa has nailed down the role of Australia’s first-choice spinner in white ball cricket and with time on his side, he should remain a mainstay until the next World Cup. Ashton Agar (29) has done enough to remain his perennial understudy as well. After those two, Tanveer Sangha (no relation to Jason) is one of the many promising spinners emerging in Australian cricket across formats. Unfortunately, Australia very rarely play two (or more) frontline spinners - something that should change. As such, it’s hard to imagine another spinner breaking into the T20 side soon but Sangha could be one of the next introduced if a spot emerges for any reason. He is currently returning from a stress fracture and so hasn't featured in the ongoing BBL but, last season, he was the next-best Aussie spinner after Agar in the wickets column.
In the spirit of substitution rules entering the BBL, and now also the upcoming IPL season, I've added a 12th man for good measure.
Patrick Dooley (25) - Australia very rarely produces spinners with such an unorthodox style as Hobart Hurricanes' Patrick Dooley. A left-arm wrist and finger spinner, Dooley attracted immediate attention for the uniqueness of his peculiar bowling action, termed a 'windmill style' by commentators last season. He's only played a handful of BBL games but in that time he's snatched nine wickets at an average of 12 and an economy rate of less than a run-a-ball. If the Australian selectors are looking for something a bit different as they revamp a tired-looking team, Dooley could be an interesting option but, as mentioned above, it will be hard to dislodge Zampa. With substitution rules creeping into the game of late, however, having interesting bowling alternatives on the bench could become a key tactic in T20 cricket going forward.
Follow some of the best T20 talents from Australia and the world in this season's BBL on Flashscore.