Australia hope to avoid a white-wash
Although ranked number one in the one-day arena, the Australian team has been anything but a champion side. Their performances in the recent months has been hardly praise-worthy and considering the World Cup that is coming up in a few months time, and also the all-important Ashes series, Australia definitely have an uphill task ahead.
Australia:
The Aussies, who were in prime form till March this year, winning convincingly against Pakistan and West Indies at home, have not done well after that. Since March 2010, the Aussies have played 14 One-day Internationals - Losing 8 games while winning 6. During this time, they have experienced three series losses, including their first ever series loss against Sri Lanka at home.
The Aussies, who were in prime form till March this year, winning convincingly against Pakistan and West Indies at home, have not done well after that. Since March 2010, the Aussies have played 14 One-day Internationals - Losing 8 games while winning 6. During this time, they have experienced three series losses, including their first ever series loss against Sri Lanka at home.
Australia's performance from March 2010:
| Opposition | Matches | Won | Lost | Tied | Series Start Date | Series Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Zealand | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 3-Mar-10 | Australia |
| England | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 22-Jun-10 | England |
| Ireland | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 17-Jun-10 | Australia |
| India | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 20-Oct-10 | India |
| Sri Lanka | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3-Nov-10 | Sri Lanka |
The main reason for Australia's slump is the constant failure of the middle order batsmen. With the likes of Ricky Ponting, Michael Hussey, Michael Clarke, Shane Watson and Brad Haddin, Australia have in them more than a decent batting setup. But the below numbers do not reflect the same. While Clarke, White and Hussey have averaged well with the bat, the same cannot be said about the others - especially the skipper Ricky Ponting, who averages just 29.25.
Australian batsmen since March 2010:
Player | Matches | Runs | Highest | Ave | 100s | 50s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Michael Hussey | 14 | 504 | 79 | 42 | 0 | 5 |
Cameroon White | 14 | 479 | 89* | 47.9 | 0 | 4 |
Shane Watson | 13 | 460 | 61 | 35.38 | 0 | 3 |
Michael Clarke | 10 | 416 | 111* | 59.42 | 1 | 2 |
Ricky Ponting | 12 | 351 | 92 | 29.25 | 0 | 3 |
Brad Haddin | 7 | 242 | 110 | 34.57 | 1 | 1 |
Tim Paine | 7 | 238 | 81 | 34 | 0 | 2 |
James Hopes | 12 | 175 | 40 | 25 | 0 | 0 |
Steven Smith | 7 | 139 | 41 | 27.8 | 0 | 0 |
Shaun Marsh | 3 | 90 | 59 | 30 | 0 | 1 |
The Aussie bowling, on the other hand, has been pretty decent and one can say the likes of Harris, Bollinger, Johnson and Watson, putting together some decent shows, have been mainly instrumental in some of the wins for the Kangaroos.
Australian bowlers since March 2010:
| Player | Matches | Wickets | Best bowling | Ave | Econ | 4-Wkt hauls | 5-Wkt hauls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ryan Harris | 9 | 20 | 5/32 | 19.35 | 5.16 | 0 | 1 |
| Doug Bollinger | 11 | 13 | 3/20 | 33.76 | 4.85 | 0 | 0 |
| Mitchell Johnson | 7 | 13 | 4/51 | 25.46 | 5.21 | 1 | 0 |
| Shane Watson | 13 | 13 | 2/26 | 25.69 | 5.27 | 0 | 0 |
| James Hopes | 12 | 11 | 5/14 | 41.45 | 5.17 | 0 | 1 |
| Nathan Hauritz | 10 | 10 | 3/46 | 42.70 | 5.33 | 0 | 0 |
Considering the above numbers, the Australians definitely need to step up the plate and find some way of turning around their poor run of form. The onus especially lies with the batsmen, who need to deliver on a regular basis for Australia to get back to the winning ways.
Sri Lanka:
In comparison, the Sri Lankan team has definitely been miles ahead of Australia in terms of performance since March 2010. Out of the 16 ODIs played by the island nation - 11 have been wins while only 4 games resulted in losses for Sri Lanka (one game against New Zealand yielded no result). To top it all, the Lankans have won 3 out of the 4 series played since March.
Sri Lanka's performance from March 2010:
| Series | Matches | Won | Lost | Start Date | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| India, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe in Zimbabwe | 5 | 3 | 2 | 30-May-10 | Sri Lanka |
| Asia Cup | 4 | 3 | 1 | 15-Jun-10 | India |
| India, New Zealand, Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka | 5 | 3 | 1 | 13-Aug-10 | Sri Lanka |
| Sri Lanka in Australia | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3-Nov-10 | Sri Lanka |
The Sri Lankan batsmen have fared fairly well in this year although there are a few players who are due for runs. The below players form the core of the batting unit for the Lankan team for the World Cup, and they would be hoping to consistently deliver with the bat and keep themselves in the right form for the big event.
Sri Lankan batsmen since March 2010:
| Player | Matches | Runs | Highest | Ave | 100s | 50s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tillakaratne Dilshan | 16 | 734 | 110 | 52.42 | 2 | 4 |
| Upul Tharanga | 16 | 517 | 86* | 36.92 | 0 | 5 |
| Kumar Sangakkara | 11 | 452 | 73 | 45.2 | 0 | 3 |
| Mahela Jayawardene | 11 | 325 | 59* | 36.11 | 0 | 3 |
| Angelo Mathews | 13 | 282 | 77* | 56.4 | 0 | 3 |
| Chamara Kapugedera | 14 | 199 | 55* | 33.16 | 0 | 1 |
| Dinesh Chandimal | 4 | 143 | 111 | 71.5 | 1 | 0 |
| Thilan Samaraweera | 8 | 123 | 36* | 30.75 | 0 | 0 |
When it comes to bowling, the Lankans have been rendering decent performances. The likes of Malinga, Perera and Randiv have been in good wicket-taking form and would be hoping to continue in the same vein.
Sri Lankan bowlers since March 2010:
| Player | Mat | Wickets | Best bowling | Ave | Econ | 4-Wkt hauls | 5-Wkt hauls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lasith Malinga | 10 | 18 | 5/34 | 18.77 | 4.17 | 0 | 1 |
| Thisara Perera | 8 | 16 | 5/28 | 16.06 | 5.5 | 0 | 2 |
| Suraj Randiv | 11 | 12 | 3/23 | 32.66 | 4.7 | 0 | 0 |
| Nuwan Kulasekara | 14 | 11 | 2/31 | 42 | 4.52 | 0 | 0 |
| Angelo Mathews | 13 | 10 | 3/36 | 24.1 | 4.15 | 0 | 0 |
The Lankans would be hoping to go back home undefeated and it is very much possible considering the current form of the Aussies. The home team would have to come up with a special effort if they seek to avoid a clean-sweep.
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