Australia do Australia things, without the scowl or the snarl،
In the simple and undeniable fact that Australia reached the final of this World Cup, it has been a very Australian campaign. After all, they’ve been here seven times already and are coming in on an eight-game winning streak. For anyone with even a passing interest in the sport, this is familiar territory. Australia? Where else would you like them to be right now?
But it was a very Australian campaign, without going against the better-known Australian pushes. Sure, they’ve won eight on the trot, but it’s not with the aura of their dominant, flawless campaigns of 2003 or 2007. No, this series has highlighted that other Australianism, that thing that reminds you German football teams of the past. ; the thing for which there absolutely must be a long German word that describes the ingrained refusal to lose a match, to never knowingly be beaten until the last wicket has been taken, ingrained so deeply that it turns a defeat into the reverse into a victory.
Because throughout this winning streak are periods of extreme vulnerability punctuated by this very thing, by moments that, in hindsight, now come together to form what might become that German word.
Like when Sri Lanka cruised to 125 without loss in Lucknow a little over a month ago. Australia were already 0-2 in their first matches, rescuing both defeats, before Pat Cummins returned, toppling the first two matches and Sri Lanka lost 10 for 83.
Or Marcus Stoinis doing the same to Pakistan’s openers and strangling what had been a worrying start to a mammoth chase in Bengaluru in the very next game.
Or, although there was one less fielder on the boundary in Dharamsala for the last match against New Zealand, he conceded five runs wide and threw one in the slot and one with a full toss at height thigh to Jimmy Neesham, somehow managing to secure a five-point victory. (and Australia have rarely looked as vulnerable to conceding 19 in a last over to lose as they did in this match).
No one needs to recall Glenn Maxwell’s epic 201* and the circumstances in which it was forged, but remember the moment of its abandonment by Mujeeb Ur Rehman. All batters, at least one day, make their opponents pay for giving up, but somehow it never seems as cruel and excruciating as a borrowed Australian batter makes it feel – Mujeeb, Usama Mir in Bangalore last month and Herschelle Gibbs last century all deserve a kinder place in our hearts.
You may need to recall Adam Zampa’s final intervention in Ahmedabad against England. Australia needed to win this match but were rarely in control, until Zampa smashed a 19-ball 29 and added 38 with Mitchell Starc. and turned an innings that could have ended for 250 into something like 300. They won it by 33.
And how about Josh Inglis, a fairly anonymous World Cup behind him, turning up to take the heat off a semi-final with an icy, under-celebrated 28? In a way, this was the most Australian aspect of this campaign; slightly unheralded player who didn’t start the tournament, becoming a bit of a hero, proving that they are all in this together and that each of them is capable of doing it.
This speaks to both the strengths and weaknesses of this campaign, because in taking them all out, they were, as the kids would say, a pretty middling team. A collective batting average which is the fourth best, a collective bowling average which is the fifth best; the fifth-best power play batting average – but, more importantly, the second-best strikeout rate; third best batting average in middle overs but fifth best strike rate; fourth best bowling average in middle overs, sixth best economy; third best bowling average at death, fifth best economy.
In a way, the uneven performance reflects their captain’s World Cup. More than anything, Cummins looks a little exhausted. Which shouldn’t be surprising given the grueling assignments he has overseen and the fact that only one fast bowler – Matt Henry – has bowled more overs than him in international cricket this year.
Cummins brings such leadership energy, however, that it will never be strange to see him come in at the first change (even after doing it 55 times in his 87 ODIs) and do the heavy lifting after the powerplay, effectively the economy class of bowling phases. Given what Josh Hazlewood and Starc bring with the new ball, it’s hard to do it any other way. But it adds to the feeling that this format hasn’t always brought us the best of Cummins.
2:34
Cummins: we must be courageous in the face of variations in India
The Australian captain is ready to take on whatever India throws at him in the World Cup final.
Instead, like his team, he intervened in the space of those small, critical moments. The double goal against Sri Lanka (and Kusal Perera’s castling was a vibrant reminder of his quality), the unbeaten 12th in the chase against Afghanistan and Quinton de Kock’s catch in the semi-final, in the part of a fierce Australian competition. performance on the field in the power play. On the contrary, in a strange and discreet way, these small elements reinforced his status as a leader.
He doesn’t have the scowl or grunt of past Australian captains and neither does the team. But this only completed the aura of these great teams, it did not create it. This comes from the quality of these players and all their achievements. As well as, of course, this Australianness, however ill-defined it may be. It is true and alive in this team, seven of which, let us remember, have won an ODI World Cup.
“Yeah, I think with experience, and luckily some of that experience comes from playing in World Cups where we’ve been dominant,” Cummins said. “We’ve won before. We had to fight for every win, but we found a way to win. And different players stood up at different times. So, I think you have to take that confidence, knowing that we won’t let’s not do it.” We don’t have to be at our best to challenge any team we can find a way to get through.”
They now find themselves on the cusp of something monumental. Beat India in Ahmedabad on Sunday and it will mean that part of this group will have won two World Cups, a T20 World Cup just two years ago, the World Test Championship and retained an Ashes series this year .
Any way you cut it, it’s about as Australian as it gets.
