Australia will rue their management of the dynamics of tournament cricket with a lack of flexibility costing them dearly
In 1999, England were eliminated from their own World Cup before the end of May and before the official tournament song had even been released. Australia’s elimination before the knockout stages of the 2022 T20 World Cup has a similar air.
Only in the last few days has summer burst into life Down Under. Casual sports fans, not used to thinking about cricket until late in November, have belatedly noticed that there is a World Cup in full swing. But it is too late. The curse of the T20 World Cup hosts continues. The last three ODI World Cups have been won by the side hosting the tournament. But in eight editions of the T20 World Cup, the host is still yet to win.The distinction is, in part, a statistical quirk. But it also hints at broader reasons: the lesser salience of home advantage in T20s than ODIs and the greater volatility of the shorter format. Australia’s elimination is a testament to this.
The structure of the tournament – six teams in each Super 12 group reduced to just two who reach the knockout stages – is cut-throat. For all that Australia’s campaign has been an underwhelming one, they still won three of the four matches that they played with the England clash rained off.
In the UAE, Australia had abundant fortune, winning the toss in six out of seven games. This time that luck has deserted them.And yet Australia cannot blame the Gods alone for their exit. Australia did not resemble a side about to defend their crown as they slipped to a 2-0 defeat against England before the World Cup; without rain in the final game, England could well have won 3-0. After winning the World Cup last year, Australia showed little interest in regeneration, mirroring the mistakes of the previous winners, West Indies. Australia began this campaign fielding 10 of the 11 who won in Dubai; Tim David, the sole addition, was the only man under 29.