WWT20 TEAM GUIDES: Australia, the side to beat

Having dominated women’s cricket for decades, the Southern Stars will be looking to improve on their performance in last year’s World Cup and win this year’s competition

Australia ranked the world's No.1 side and represent a major force in the upcoming World T20.

Having dominated women’s cricket for decades, the Southern Stars will be looking to improve on their performance in last year’s World Cup and win this year’s competition.

The tournament comes at a good time for the Aussies, with captain Meg is back to full fitness and producing outstanding performances. The hunt is on for a fourth title and Australia are well set to achieve this.

Form

After successfully defending the Ashes last winter, Australia also won a T20 Tr Series against England and India earlier this year, beating England by 57 runs in the final.

The Southern Stars also very recently played New Zealand and inflicted a 3-0 whitewash, demonstrating just how strong they are heading into the T20 World Cup (New Zealand are ranked second in the world). After the New Zealand series, Australia headed to play Pakistan. The Southern Stars sealed the three-match series by winning all three comfortably. 

^{Dangerwoman Ellyse Perry}

Star Players

Meg Lanning and Ellyse Perry

Captain Lanning is ranked No.3 in the ICC world rankings and will be sure to want to prove a point here after she faced a lengthy time out of the game with a shoulder injury.

After recently returning to the side, she has already picked up from where she left off. Her key strengths are clinical hitting of the ball and working in partnerships. In the second game of the recent ODI series with Pakistan, Lanning hit a 106-ball 124 after an early collapse. This role, that of recoverer-in-chief, is one that Lanning plays superbly and will be vital if the Southern Stars are to win their fourth title.

Perry is a destructive allrounder who bats with finesse and power and is a consistent wicket-taker. Perry is ranked third in the ICC allrounder rankings and nine in the bowling rankings. She is described by many as the spearhead of the Australian bowling attack and has taken 90 wickets in T20Is at an average of 19.87.

She will be looking to bring up her century of wickets during the competition in the West Indies. Perry’s main strength is her consistency, as she has delivered in many high pressure competitions before and her experience on the big stage will be very valuable to the Southern Stars.

^{Meg Lanning}

Strengths

Australia’s key strength lies in their top-order batting, where they can take a game away from the bowlers in the blink of an eye.

Alyssa Healy has found some great form in recent games, especially against New Zealand in their recent T20 series where she hit 67 off 44 balls at a strike rate of over 150. She also performed outstandingly in the following T20I series against Pakistan where she hit two half-centuries and finished with an average of 66 and a strike rate of 155.29.

She heads into the T20 World Cup in the greatest form of her life having hit four half-centuries in the last five T20Is. The top-order batters also show great consistency, with the most experienced players often creating key partnerships that have taken the Southern Stars over the line on several occasions.

Weaknesses

After Australia’s exit in the semi-final of the World Cup last year, one of the key weaknesses identified was that they were too one-dimensional in the field.

Speaking after the World Cup exit, Ellyse Perry said the Southern Stars must have a clearer idea of how to adapt and be resilient when games go against them.

^{Alyssa Healy}

Chances of winning

As the world's best side, Australia go into the competition as the favourites to win.

Their recent form and consistency from their key players suggests that the Southern Stars will be a dominant force in the competition and the team to beat. Their toughest opposition in their group is likely to be India and New Zealand. Importantly for their confidence heading into the competition, the Southern Stars have won their last nine T20I matches.

Prediction: Winners

Bet you didn’t know

Ellyse Perry is the top wicket-taker in women’s T20 World Cups with 27 wickets.

Fixture list (all UK time): Pakistan (Nov 9, 8pm), Ireland (Nov 11, 8pm), New Zealand (Nov 14, midnight), India (Nov 17, 3pm)

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