Warner, Maxwell And Starc Spearheaded A Formidable Australian ODI Team From 2010-2019

The ‘Kangaroos’ racked up a record extending fifth World Cup title on home soil in 2015 besides making it to the semi-finals at the 2019 World Cup held in the United Kingdom.

The Australian Team celebrate with the trophy after the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup final match between Australia and New Zealand at Melbourne Cricket Ground on March 29, 2015 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

The Australian cricket team continued to be a dominant force in the limited overs arena in the decade gone by. The 'Aussies' who enjoyed a golden phase in the first decade of the new millennium may have not been at their all-conquering best but still had plenty of ammunition in their arsenal to be a top notch ODI unit along with India, England and South Africa in white ball cricket.

The ‘Kangaroos’ racked up a record extending fifth World Cup title on home soil in 2015 besides making it to the semi-finals at the 2019 World Cup held in the United Kingdom. The ‘Yellow and Green’ Brigade had inspirational skippers and astute leaders in Michael Clarke, Aaron Finch  and George Bailey  who led them with distinction during most part of the previous decade.

So let us decode the key elements which formed part of the formidable Australian ODI unit by breaking down the team structure into various compartments

Belligerent Openers Warner And Finch Provided The Opening Salvo

In the last decade, the Australians had one of the most potent and dependable ODI opening duo in David Warner and Aaron Finch, both of whom set the pace for the innings with their destructive and electrifying stroke-play. The Warner-Finch pair consistently provided the initial impetus in the power plays with some pugnacious stroke-play and got the team off to  breezy starts. The attacking stroke makers had the ability to kick-on after a fiery start and play the long innings to great effect, delivering the goods with some match winning tons. It is notable that Shane Watson and Usman Khwaja also had a fair degree of success while opening the batting for the Aussies in ODI cricket. Steve Smith and Michael Clarke Spearhead A Compact Middle Order The highly unorthodox but effective Steve Smith was Australia's batting mainstay in the middle order who mastered the art of run grafting with clinical perfection. Smith excelled at the art of rotating the strike with an uncanny knack of finding the gaps in the field. He could score at a brisk pace and also possessed the ability to step up the scoring rate if required. Michael Clarke, a very dependable middle order batsman scored runs with a great deal of consistency in ODIs. The elegant right handed strokemaker had a wide repertoire of shots in his arsenal to keep the momentum going and solidify the platform provided by the openers. The classy right handed strokemaker used his quick footwork in playing spin well besides being adept against pace. Meanwhile, George Bailey, known for his calm and cool composure played his hand in finishing off some nerve wrecking encounters many times, exhibiting a lot of grit and mental fortitude. Meanwhile, Brad Haddin, Travis Head and Usman Khwaja were other notable contributors with the willow in the middle order. Maxwell, Watson Produced Whirlwind Cameos In Lower Middle Order Australian ODI unit had plenty of firepower in the lower middle order with a couple of hard hitting batting all-rounders who could unleash carnage with their brutal assault. Glen Maxwell was an outright match winner on his day with his destructive power hitting, which dealt a massive blow into the opposition. The ‘Big Show’ could turn the course of a game in a blink of an eye with his uncanny shot making and lofty hitting. The powerfully built Shane Watson was known to annihilate attacks with those sky-rocketing sixes. Besides Maxwell and Watson; the Aussies also had Marcus Stoinis, James Faulkner and Mitchell Marsh who all produced many whirlwind cameos to take the Aussies across the finishing line on numerous occasions  in ODI cricket. Starc, Cummins and Hazlewood Form Potent Pace Attack Australia had a lethal seam attack in ODI cricket all through the decade with a spree of world class fast bowlers at their disposal. Spearheading the attack was their left-arm speedster Mitchell Starc, who was their outright strike weapon with his red hot pace and menacing swing. Starc formed a great new ball attack with the pacy wicket-taking seamer Pat Cummins and the highly consistent Josh Hazlewood, who possessed the ability of getting movement off the deck. The Aussies had plenty of depth with quality seamers in Nathan Coulter Nile, Kane Richardson and John Hastings who always chipped in with wickets when called upon national duty. The attack was lent some depth with medium pacers in Clint McKay, Shane Watson, James Faulkner, Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head who were very effective with their change of pace in the white ball format. The contributions of Brett Lee, Mitchell Johnson, Shaun Tait and Ryan Harris in making Australia a potent bowling unit early in the decade is noteworthy. Adam Zampa Was Aussies Spin King Adam Zampa, Australia’s frontline spinner in the last decade had a bagful of tricks to bamboozle batsman with his guile and craft. The leg spinner mixed up his stock leg spin with the googly and wrong'un to run through the defences of the best batsmen. Zampa was lent some good company by tweakers in Glen Maxwell and George Bailey, who were pretty effective in the shorter format of the game. Meanwhile, left-arm slow bowler Xavier Doherty was quite an effective run choker in the ODIs. Last but not the least, Australia were one of the best fielding units in the world with some superbly athletic fielders in Glen Maxwell, Steve Smith, Michael Clarke and David Warner, who were razor sharp in their reflexes and agile across the green turf. Australia’s Best Probable ODI XI (2010-2019): David Warner, Aaron Finch, Steve Smith, Michael Clarke, Shane Watson, Glen Maxwell, Brad Haddin (wicket-keeper), Mitchell Johnson, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Adam Zampa Reserves: George Bailey, Clint McKay, Josh Hazlewood, James Faulkner Notable Mentions: Kane Richardson, Usman Khwaja, Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh , Marcus Stoinis, Alex Carey, Matthew Wade, Travis Head, Cameron White  and Xavier Doherty

*The class of the 2000s which includes Ricky Ponting, Brett Lee and Michael Hussey bid adieu to the sport early in the decade and hence did not play too much cricket in the last decade.

Australia ODI Record (Jan'2010-Dec' 2019) Played - 216, Won - 125, Lost - 79 Win% - 57.8%

- 3rd Best Win% After India and South Africa During Decade

Performance At ICC World Cups (50-over Format)

 

2015 - Champions, 2019 - Semifinalist, 2011 - Quarterfinalist