Australia’s middle-order problems in limited-overs cricket

[Hasan123]

Australia have one of the best top 3s in LO in the world. But there middle order is a major issue. No matter who they select or what order they put them in, they keep on collapsing no matter if they are chasing or batting first. We have seen this issue in the ongoing series against England. If they can't rectify this, it is difficult to see them winning WCs outside of Australia in the future.

Why does this keep happening and what can be done to resolve this?

 

[marlonbrowndo]

The players just aren’t the same quality. Their middle order just hasn’t been that great since 2009. Maxwell is a luxury player who they could afford in 2015 because of their batting depth

 

[sharmaji]

India has the same problem. It is also a difficult problem to address because their top 3 are so prolific most of the time that the middle order batsmen don't get enough practice/experience to play long match-winning innings.

 

[Deewana Mastana]

Not sure why they keep ignoring Travis Head who has done well in the opportunities he has got in both ODI's and T20's.

Could have been better than Stoinis perhaps.

 

[Kroll]

Perhaps trying to copy the Indian batting blueprint.

 

[Hasan123]

Labuschange will be a regular at 4 in ODIs whilst Smith is playing so things could improve. Still unsure about what's after him.

 

[ishtiaq_ctg]

From Symonds to Maxwell.
From Hussey to Stoinis.
Strange watching Australia lose matches from winning positions. Maxwell just isn't reliable enough to play as a No. 4. He has the ability but just dosent seem to have that clutch. Australia should drop Stoinis and play Maxwell at 5-6. He'll be better in roles where he's expected to score quick a 20-30 rather than be No.4 and play both as an anchor and a finisher.

 

[Zeshan547]

1-Finch
2-Warner
3-Smith
4-Stoinis
5-Mitch Marsh/Travis Head
6-Maxwell
7-Carey
8-Agar
9-Cummins
10-Starc
11-Zampa
This will be most likely team for next T20 WC. And after Eng and Ind they will be 3rd favorite team to win in India if it was in Australia they would be second favorite after Eng. There middle is definitely not worlds best but there great top order and very good tail can make up for it. Only other weak point is not good enough second spinner, agar is damn average only zampa is good.

 

[zacattakk]

1-Finch
2-Warner
3-Smith
4-Stoinis
5-Mitch Marsh/Travis Head
6-Maxwell
7-Carey
8-Agar
9-Cummins
10-Starc
11-Zampa
This will be most likely team for next T20 WC. And after Eng and Ind they will be 3rd favorite team to win in India if it was in Australia they would be second favorite after Eng. There middle is definitely not worlds best but there great top order and very good tail can make up for it. Only other weak point is not good enough second spinner, agar is damn average only zampa is good.

Agar, Cummins, Starc, Richardson, Zampa - thats who played the last game and definitely not a "very good tail" in my opinion.

Agree, Agar is really mediocre.

 

[therealAB]

Marsh should be playing. The below is for ODI obvs

Finch
Warner
Smith
Labuschagne
Carey
Marsh
Maxwell
Starc
Cummins
Jhye Richardson/Hazlewood
Zampa

That looks fine to me, especially as Carey is becoming a very good ODI bat
Clearly worse than England's ODI teams but better than the rest, perhaps equal with India

 

[Justcrazy]

Australia is Not invincible anymore , they are good but not a great team. If you play well , you have strong chance to beat them. Earlier in 1999 - 2008 they had more match winners not just regular players.

 

[JaDed]

Who has a good middle order anymore except Eng and maybe WI coz Andre.. It's a weakness for most teams , cant believe no one is working on it.

 

[Sami92]

The Aussie players who are vying for middle order positions should bat in the middle order domestically first and foremost. I saw that Stoinis & Wade opened the batting in BBL T20 but they are fighting foi middle order positions in T20Is.

 

[tyron_woodley]

1-Finch
2-Warner
3-Smith
4-Stoinis
5-Mitch Marsh/Travis Head
6-Maxwell
7-Carey
8-Agar
9-Cummins
10-Starc
11-Zampa
This will be most likely team for next T20 WC. And after Eng and Ind they will be 3rd favorite team to win in India if it was in Australia they would be second favorite after Eng. There middle is definitely not worlds best but there great top order and very good tail can make up for it. Only other weak point is not good enough second spinner, agar is damn average only zampa is good.

correction. after india and England in sub continent it would be australia. Not England and India.

It will be england and India in australia followed by australia.

 

[tyron_woodley]

Who has a good middle order anymore except Eng and maybe WI coz Andre.. It's a weakness for most teams , cant believe no one is working on it.

india now have shreyas iyer, Rahul and pandya in the middle order. Pretty strong if you ask me. That was supposed to be our middle order in the WC had it not been dhawan injury and the bogus karthik fraudster getting selected.

 

[sweep_shot]

I don't understand the hype for Maxwell. This guy is a hack.

Australia used to have solid middle-order. But, that's not currently the case.

 

[tyron_woodley]

also every team has a bogey team. Australia has 2 bogey teams. englsnd and saffers. England are a top side though.

India's bogey team at the moment is n.z although india did win away in n.z back in 2018 (4-1). More like a random mental block I should say post 2019 for some reason.

pakistan is usually England's bogey team in odi in big tournaments and tests. Englsnd won this year though.

n.z absolutely suck vs australia for some reason no matter how key players australia miss. They also do bad against south africa.

 

[sweep_shot]

India's bogey team at the moment is n.z although india did win away in n.z back in 2018 (4-1). More like a random mental block I should say post 2019 for some reason.

India won the ODI series 4-1 and T20 series 5-0 against NZ in NZ. But, they got whitewashed in Test.

The thing with India is, they are still not strong enough to win Test tours in SENA countries. They lost 1-4 in England and 1-2 in South Africa also.

They beat Australia but that Australia team didn't have Warner and Smith.

 

[JaDed]

india now have shreyas iyer, Rahul and pandya in the middle order. Pretty strong if you ask me. That was supposed to be our middle order in the WC had it not been dhawan injury and the bogus karthik fraudster getting selected.

Lol what would that middle order be called the inconsistent 3?

 

[JaDed]

India won the ODI series 4-1 and T20 series 5-0 against NZ in NZ. But, they got whitewashed in Test.

The thing with India is, they are still not strong enough to win Test tours in SENA countries. They lost 1-4 in England and 1-2 in South Africa also.

They beat Australia but that Australia team didn't have Warner and Smith.

He is talking about LOI..

 

[angrypathan]

Mostly T20s where Australia's problems lie. Labuschagne slots in nicely at 4 in ODIs, and Carey is a much better batsman when he can take some time to settle in.

 

[tyron_woodley]

Not sure why they keep ignoring Travis Head who has done well in the opportunities he has got in both ODI's and T20's.

Could have been better than Stoinis perhaps.

Lol what would that middle order be called the inconsistent 3?

they are all young and talented and better than most middle orders.

 

[Mercurial]

Usman Khawaja was unfairly dropped. He has a good record in ODI format. If they can stick with Finch and Warner, who are above 32, then why not Khawaja? Khawaja surely is better than Labuschagne in the ODI format and even in the T20I format.

 

[shah_1]

The most importance positions of a white ball cricket are wk batsman and AR. They provide balance.

They miss Shane Watson the most. . They have to pick bits and pieces players to fill the spot. Apart from 2019 WC, Alex Carey has been a flop so far.

Camroon Green and Josh Philpie could be be the solution

 

[MenInG]

Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting feels that the national team management needs to find an ideal “No 3” in ODIs, someone who will own that slot in years to come.

The next ODI World Cup is scheduled to be held in India in 2023 and Ponting believes Australia got “work to do” on its one-day cricket ahead of the quadrennial event.

“They need to find someone that’s going to bat at No.3 for them for a long time. It’s such a pivotal role, they need to find someone who’s going to be a long-term player there,” Ponting said while talking to cricket.com.au.

It could either be Marnus Labuschagne or Steve Smith, according to the two-time World Cup winning skipper.

“Whether that’s Marnus (Labuschagne) there (at No 3) and Smith at four, or whether it’s the other way round, who knows what it’s going to be.”

“We’ll see how the Aussie boys go, but they’ve still got some work to do on their one-day cricket, I think,” Ponting said.

While Australia lost 1-2 to England in the T20 series, Ponting isn’t worried about the shortest and the longest (Tests) formats.

“We know their T20 cricket of late has been good and we know their Test cricket has been outstanding, but there’s still a few little holes in their one-day game and hopefully they can patch them up over the next week or so.”

Australia lost the T20 series 1-2 against England and will head into the three-match ODI series that begins in Manchester on Friday.

“There’s not too many holes, but I think they just have to work out what their brand of one-day cricket is going to be and how they’re going to go about it because there’s no doubt the talent is all there,” he said.

“You look at that squad right now and that group of players you’ve got over there, it’s a very good squad.”

Talking about England’s World Cup winning skipper Eoin Morgan, Ponting said: “I think three or four years ago and I thought Morgan was gone. I thought he was done as an international player.

“He was in the IPL, on the bench for Sunrisers (Hyderabad) and couldn’t get a game, moving around different franchises as a spare overseas player. But now he just seems like he’s found another gear and he’s probably playing better than he’s played in his life.”


https://sportstar.thehindu.com/cric...-smith-marnus-labuschagne/article32572754.ece

 

[Hasan123]

Smith and Labuschange are not the problem. It's 5/6/7 that are the problem for Australia.

 

[shamaan]

Smith and Labuschange are not the problem. It's 5/6/7 that are the problem for Australia.

Maxwell is good enough at 5

 

[Hasan123]

Maxwell is good enough at 5

Mitchell Marsh should bat there. Maxwell should bat at 6 or 7, he can be promoted if Australia need to accelerate in a chase or capitalise on a good start.