Impact of Australian Spin Bowling in the WT20 2016, India

Every team that will play in the ICC WT20 2016 will need to have an arsenal of good spinners as the tracks are certain to get slower as the tournament goes on and the pitches begin to tire. Australia has opted for two relative green-horns in this department overlooking the much more experienced Nathan Lyon and Cameron Boyce. Whether this decision by the selectors is vindicated or not will be known in the next month and a half. Let us analyse what impact the Australian spinners are expected to have on their fortunes in the mega event.

Adam Zampa

Zampa is a young leg break bowler from New South Wales who has the ability to turn the ball and he can deceive the batsman in flight and with his changes in pace. He had a successful Big Bash League with the Melbourne Stars where he was amongst the wickets throughout and when given a chance to prove his mettle with the Aussie ODI team, he left quite an impression with his leggies against the Kiwi’s in the recently concluded Chappell-Hadlee trophy.

Zampa might have another thing going for him and that is his control over the ball, along with the fact that most teams would have actually not faced him before and hence he might surprise them. He is also a decent batsman lower down the order which might prove to be useful.

Impact rating – 6/10

Ashton Agar

Ashton Agar shot to limelight as a teenager when he slammed a 98 on test debut in an Ashes test against England, coming in at number 11 and recuing Australia from a precarious 119/9. He had modest success as a spinner though and he faded away from the international scene just as quickly as he had risen. He picked up just 2 wickets in the 8 BBL05 games that he played recently and made a solitary fifty. But the selectors definitely saw something in the youngster to pick him ahead of Lyon and Boyce for the mega tourney and how successful is Agar’s second coming with the Australian team might have a huge impact on his career.

Impact Rating – 4.5/10

Glenn Maxwell

Glenn Maxwell is primarily in the Australian team as a batsman but in India his quickish off breaks will be more than handy and I am sure that he will be called upon in every game to roll his arm over for at least a couple of overs. He generally bowls quick off breaks, often darting the ball in but has the ability to give it a rip and extract turn and bounce. He has had a torrid time as a batsman with his last 5 scores all being under 10, including two 0’s but he can be a brutal batsman when on song and a brilliant fielder anywhere on the field.

Impact Rating – 5/10

The Australian teams seems to me to be short on quality when it comes to spin bowling and as spin might play a huge role, it is almost certain to hamper their progress at some point in the tournament. India is a place where good spinners are rewarded but average one’s tend to get punished as the pitches are easy paced.

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Impact of Australian Pace Bowlers in the WT20 2016, India

Australia are a team that relies heavily on their pace battery to deliver the goods for them in most conditions. But with the recent retirement of the terrifying Mitchell Johnson, who was a master of the short ball and could reverse the ball at great pace thus taking the pitch out of the equation, and Mitchell Starc who will miss the World Cup due to an injury, the Australian pace stocks have suddenly dipped. They have not picked up James Pattinson who could have bowled at a fiery pace and the Shaun Tait experiment did not go too well for them in the India series. They have picked up three quicks, two of which have been impressive recently while one is injured currently.

Josh Hazlewood

Hazlewood is a right arm fast medium bowler in the mould of Australian great Glenn McGrath who generally bowls tight lines, seldom giving the batsmen room to free their arms and have a swipe at the ball. He has the ability to move the ball both ways and his off stump line suffocates the batsman in to making a mistake. He is in prime form at the moment picking up wickets in both test and ODI formats for Australia. He had a stellar test series against the touring West Indians and Kiwis before being the highest wicket taker in the Chappell-Hadlee trophy which concluded last week. He has also started the New Zealand tests well, picking up 4 top order batsmen with some magical bowling.

He will be a threat in India if there is variable bounce because he generally attacks the stumps and he might be able to nibble the ball under lights which will test the opposition out.

Impact Rating – 7/10

John Hastings

John Hastings is a bulky right arm fast medium bowler who has been rewarded with a place in the Aussie WT20 squad on the back of his recent terrific showing against the touring Indian side in their victorious 4-1 ODI campaign. He was the wrecker in chief of the strong Indian batting line-up, often pegging them back with important blows while also keeping the run flow in check with tight bowling. He relies more on his variations, rather than on pace to confound the batsmen, and is also a very handy lower order batsman, a skill which he demonstrated recently, when he combined with Mitch Marsh to win Australia the second match of the Chappell-Hadlee trophy making a valuable 48*.

His control and natural variations along with the subtle changes of pace will make him a dangerous customer to deal with even on the flat Indian pitches.

Impact Rating – 7/10

The Australians have also picked the hugely talented Nathan Coulter-Nile but he is currently recovering from a shoulder injury and his inclusion is subject to him passing the fitness test. Overall, they have a decent pace bowling attack and they will be well complemented by their Fantastico all-rounder duo, Shane Watson and James Faulkner, who are masters of variations.

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Impact of Australian Middle Order in the WT20 2016, India

The Australian middle order is one that has fire power and brutal strength which is almost unmatchable. The opposition will not get much time to celebrate the wickets of Aussie openers as the batsmen who will follow are as destructive as their opening batsmen! If David Warner and Aaron Finch fail to provide them with a Fantastico start then they will rely on an enterprising middle order to bail them out.

Steve Smith

Steve Smith was once a widely ridiculed batsman as he did not have a proper technique and his leg spinners were just an invitation to the opposition batsmen to score quickly. But he worked on his game and now one of the best batsman across all formats.

He has all the shots in the book and his unorthodox technique means that the bowlers are always in a quandary as to which line and length to adopt. He is equally comfortable against both pace and spin and this is his biggest strength. Once set, he is extremely difficult to dislodge and his straight drives and cover drives are a treat to watch.

He is also the captain of this young but extremely talented Aussie side and the onus will lie on him to lead him team and get the silverware that has eluded the Australians since its inception way back in 2007.

Impact Rating – 8.5/10

Glenn Maxwell

The name is enough to cause terror and panic amongst the opposition bowlers as he is such a destructive force to reckon with. The match situation seems to have almost no effect on Maxi and he seems undaunted by any amount of pressure.

He plays unorthodox shots with such ease that leaves the spectator in a spell. Shots like the ramps, reverse sweeps, switch hits come with such a regularity that you feel awed at his prowess. Recently, he has also batted with an eerie calm and composed manner and led Australia over the line which has further enhanced his growing reputation. The impact of his batting leaves the opposition team reeling with shock and awe. Like his skipper, he can also play spin very well which is such an added skill to have in order to navigate through the Indian tracks.

He is also a very good fielder prowling in the all-important point region and is a handy off spinner as well.

Impact Rating – 8.5/10

The combination of Smith and Maxwell at 3 and 4 depicts the batting strength of Australians and every team will have their task cut out to contain these two. If these two get on a roll, then the opposition team will be staring at a huge total. In Indian conditions, the middle order must be equipped with special skills and the Australian duo are adept at both clearing the field with ease as running the quick singles and twos and rotating the strike.

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