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The Australian cricket team are undergoing a torrid time when it comes to Twenty20 Internationals. The team has not played their full-strength side for the last couple of months. In seaming and spinning conditions, Australia have been found wanting in all departments. In the last two series against West Indies and Bangladesh, only one Australian batsman has contributed. The bowling has struggled for impact.
Apart from the horror losses to the West Indies and Bangladesh, Australia are in the midst of a five-series losing streak in Twenty20 Internationals. Their last series win came in 2019 when they beat South Africa 2-1. Since then, they have lost series to England, India, New Zealand, West Indies and Bangladesh. In 21 matches in the last two years, Australia have won only six and lost 15 matches. Both at home and away, Australia have failed to get success on the big stage. Here is a look at Australia’s horrors in Twenty20 Internationals in the last two years
The limited-overs series between England and Australia saw mixed fortunes. Australia won the ODI series 2-1. But, in the T20I series, England were on the upswing. In the first match, Dawid Malan’s 66 helped England reach 162/7. Australia responded with a fifty from David Warner and an aggressive 46 from Marcus Stoinis. However, England held their nerve. Tom Curran conceded a six but bowled four good balls to help England win by two runs.
In the second game, Australia was restricted to 157/7. Jos Buttler blasted 77 and Malan hit 44 to guide England to a comfortable win. In the third match, Jonny Bairstow hit 55 and there were contributions from Joe Denly and Moeen Ali. The Aussies were boosted by aggressive knocks of 39 from Finch and Mitchell Marsh as they managed to win a consolation match by five wickets.
The hosts had won the ODI series 2-1 heading into the three-match T20I series. However, in the first game at Canberra, Australia were in the midst of a controversy. KL Rahul hit 51 while Ravindra Jadeja hit a brilliant 44. During the match, Jadeja was injured and was controversially replaced by Yuzvendra Chahal using the concussion substitute rule. Chahal picked up 3/25. The legspinner was well-supported by T Natarajan who also took three wickets. India won the match by 11 runs.
In the second match in Sydney, Matthew Wade and Steve Smith hit 58 and 46 respectively to help Australia reach 194/5. But, Shikhar Dhawan’s 52 and a fantastic 22-ball 42 by Hardik Pandya meant that India won the match in grand style to continue their unbeaten run in Australia. But, the hosts secured a consolation win in the final match. Wade hit 80 and Maxwell chipped in with 54 off 36 balls as Australia ended on 186/5. Virat Kohli hit a brilliant 85 but he failed in a chase as Australia won the match.
The Trans-Tasman rivalry has always been gripping when it came to the shortest format. Australia have achieved the highest successful chase in T20I history against New Zealand. Their record against New Zealand was always formidable. But, in the five-match series, New Zealand got the better of their bitter rivals. In the first match, Devon Conway smashed 99 and a haul of 4/28 by Ish Sodhi gave New Zealand a big win.
In the second match, Martin Guptill’s 97 and aggressive knocks from Kane Williamson and James Neesham helped New Zealand to 219/7. Marcus Stoinis and Daniel Sams stitched a 92-run stand off just 37 balls but it was not enough as Australia lost by four runs. In the third match, Australia kept the series alive with Glenn Maxwell smashing 70. Ashton Agar took 6/30 to give Australia a thumping win. The series was level in grand style when Finch’s 79 and a disciplined bowling effort saw Australia win by 50 runs.
In the decider, Ish Sodhi took 3/24 and Guptill’s brilliant 71 helped New Zealand win the series 3-2. For Australia, the seven-wicket loss prolonged their agony.
In the series against the West Indies, Australia were undone by spin and brute force of the Windies batsmen. The first match saw Andre Russell hit a blazing 51 off 28 balls. Obed McCoy and Hayden Walsh ushered in a collapse that saw Australia lose seven wickets for 38 runs. West Indies batsmen came to the fore in the second T20I with Shimron Hetmyer and Dwayne Bravo. Australia were bowled out for 140 to give West Indies a 2-0 lead.
Chris Gayle came to the party in the third match as his 67 off 38 balls saw West Indies win by six wickets. Mitchell Marsh was the star with 75 and three wickets as Australia pulled off a close four-run win. The Windies, though, powered their way to a win in the final T20I thanks to Evin Lewis and three wickets from Andre Russell and Sheldon Cottrell. West Indies won the series 4-1 and they served notice to their quest to defend the ICC World T20 championship.
The tour to Bangladesh was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. In hindsight, the tour was only delaying the inevitable when it came to Australia’s travails against spin. In a low-scoring series, Bangladesh’s spinners made the life of the Australians hard.
The first match saw Nasum Ahmed take 4/19 as Bangladesh easily managed to defend 132. Bangladesh’s blueprint followed on choking Australia and their inability to play spin in tough conditions. Mustafizur Rahman, in the second match, took three wickets and Bangladesh managed to chase the total down with the Australian spinners struggling.
The third match saw something remarkable. Bangladesh managed 127/9 but so cautious was the Australian approach that they lost four wickets but still managed to lose the game. Mitchell Marsh hit 51 but Alex Carey could not get Australia over the line as they fell short by 10 runs. In the fourth match, Dan Christian’s five sixes in one over of Shakib gave Australia enough buffer for a collapse as Bangladesh suffered a three-wicket defeat. However, Australia would hit rock bottom as they were bowled out for 62 in the final match, which was their lowest total in T20I history.
The travails of Australian cricket will only continue in the coming months. Most of the players heading to the IPL might not automatically slot themselves back in the national side. But, Australia is in a tough group in the ICC World T20 2021 with England, South Africa and West Indies, with potentially Sri Lanka joining them. The ICC World T20 might be the culmination of Australia’s struggles in the shorter format.
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