Australia Thrash Pakistan, Show They've Moved Along the Twenty20 Learning Curve
For a country so rich in dynamic cricketers, Australia have habitually suffered from a curious discomfort in the Twenty20 arena.
A strange contradiction, the nation's fearsome production line of brutal strikers and venomous speedsters have endured an awkward relationship with a format they've always appeared tailor made for. In the 20-over game, Australia's dominance in the 50-over one has counted for little.
Some of that has been out of their control. But much of it has stemmed from a stubbornness exhibited by Australia, their obvious resistance to the format's rapid evolution.
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Australia have discovered that brute force has its limitations on the Twenty20 stage. Having often deployed something of an all-or-nothing lineup, Australia had been left behind in the game's progression. While others had adopted an approach with more finesse and guile, Australia continued to turn up with a paint roller when opponents were moving toward calligraphy.
Yet, that theme took a twist on Sunday, as Australia fielded an outfit with balance and diversity, finally showing a willingness to move with Twenty20's fast-changing nature and thrashing Pakistan in Dubai by six wickets after limiting the hosts to a total of just 96-9.
It must be noted that Australia's selection was heavily influenced by availability issues: George Bailey has stepped away from the Twenty20 side, both Shane Watson and Mitchell Marsh are injured and Mitchell Johnson's health is being carefully managed.
But in identifying replacements for those men, Australia took some positive steps.
Following a fine campaign in the Big Bash League, Cameron Boyce was included in Aaron Finch's XI for Sunday's clash. Joining him on debut were Kane Richardson and Sean Abbott, the former earning selection after impressing as a cool operator with the ball in the dying overs of an innings.
Also in Australia's lineup was Steve Smith, who made his first Twenty20 International appearance in almost three years in Dubai.
The changes may have made the team a little light on experience, but the moves were a clear indication that Australia have learned their lessons from the country's disastrous campaign at this year's ICC World Twenty20.
In Bangladesh, Australia—led at the time by Bailey—were out-foxed, toppled by a succession of teams with more Twenty20 nous. Although the batting lineup read Finch, David Warner, Watson, Glenn Maxwell, Bailey and Brad Hodge, Australia saw their half-dozen of six hitters unable to deal with the subtleties of the game on the subcontinent.
First it was Saeed Ajmal and Shahid Afridi who did the damage. Sunil Narine took his turn next, before Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja finished them off. On each occasion, Australia's inability—or perhaps unwillingness—to do the little things between the boundary hitting saw their demise; brutal batsmen caught on strike, bogged down and dismissed trying to blast their way out of it.
When it was their turn, the bowlers suffered a similar fate. The four-pronged seam attack of Doug Bollinger, Mitchell Starc, James Faulkner and Watson was horribly ill-suited to the tournament, exposed by batsmen who've learned that pace is their ally in Twenty20 cricket.
Like they'd expected to do with the bat, Australia were clearly in the belief they'd blast teams away with the ball. Instead, opponents inflicted that damage upon them.
And it's why Sunday's victory over Pakistan was significant for the men in green and gold. While their opponents were truly woeful, and while the next World Twenty20 is still two years away, Australia found success by moving away from the approach that has limited such a powerful cricketing nation.
Boyce, who'd impressed for the Hobart Hurricanes in the 2013-14 edition of the Big Bash League, immediately looked at home, extracting sharp turn from the sluggish Dubai wicket to claim figures of 2/10 from his four overs.
Displaying a new emphasis on spin, Australia also threw the ball to Maxwell for the opening overs, seeing the Victorian grab three early wickets with his off-spin and denying Pakistan an opportunity to settle in against the side's seamers.
Smith was afforded an over too, indicating that team management may have an eye on developing the 25-year-old as a versatile limited-overs all-rounder, even though his role in the Test side is now exclusively as a batsman.
The presence of all three men gave a sense of balance to Australia's attack, reinforced by the selection of Richardson, who has developed a reputation as fine bowler at the death with his knack for finding the yorker length. Against Pakistan, the 23-year-old claimed 1/13 with a level of control that was notable, particularly given the pace that was on show. Abbott, too, almost touched the 90 mph-mark when he trapped Afridi in front.
Such a strong start to the tour will be a significant boost for Australia, who've arrived in the UAE riddled with both rust and uncertainty over personnel.
"That's what we were aiming to do tonight, to really put our front foot forward and basically put a dent in Pakistan and make it harder for them to come back for the rest of the time we're here," Maxwell said after the victory, per ESPN Cricinfo. "To start a series like that where it's a really dominating win with six overs left is a great way to start a tour."
But more than just a positive start to the tour, Australia's display on Sunday was evidence that the team has learned from previous mistakes. With an altered approach, Australia have moved along the Twenty20 learning curve, possibly emerging from their uncomfortable malaise in the game's shortest format.
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