T20 World Cup: Coach Silverwood says “I Truly Believe That We Can’t Only Challenge This Group, But Come Out Victorious”

Australia will be looking to bounce back from their crushing loss to New Zealand when they take on Asia Cup Champions Sri Lanka in their second Super 12 match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Perth on Tuesday. Australia is not only the defending Men’s T20 World Cup champions but also the hosts of this mega event, and so understandably was one of the favourites entering this tournament. Their confidence was also sky-high thanks to playing some exciting cricket in this format since the tournament’s last edition.

But the Aussies were brought down to earth by their Trans-Tasman rivals on the first weekend of the Super12 stage, as New Zealand completely outplayed them in their opening match. It wasn’t just the result that was the issue but also the performance; the bowling lacked penetration and the batting unit collapsed under pressure. This was Australia’s second loss on the trot following their defeat to India in the warm-up match.

The failure of the bowling unit to do well in these two matches is a bit concerning for the hosts, but Australia still needs to bank on the experience of their bowlers. The likes of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Adam Zampa are seasoned campaigners and are also extremely familiar with their home conditions, so can be expected to bounce back sooner rather than later. The Australian batters, however, have to be a bit careful about the way they plan to tackle the Sri Lankan spinners on Tuesday. But Marcus Stoinis’s innings was exceptional 50 off just 17 balls great to watch, and the second-fastest half-century after Yuvraj Singh.

“We knew Australia had to come hard at us because of their net run rate. The way he [Stoinis] came back at us and struck the ball was exceptional. I truly believe that we can not only challenge this group, but come out victorious. I think we’ve shown we have the capabilities and the skills within the group. We showed that in the Asia Cup and the confidence is growing within the group. The important thing from today is to regroup and get ready for the next game,” he added.

“I can’t fault the way the guys at the top of the order played. The ball did move around early on. Life was difficult for us. We’re not used to that sort of bounce that we get here in Perth. The way they went about their business to set that platform…they did very well.”

Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana have emerged as one of the best spin-bowling pairs in the world of late and can cause quite a lot of damage. The spin duo was seen in good rhythm during the match against Ireland as they picked up four wickets between them, going at a mean combined economy rate of 5.50.