Heading into their third World Cup encounter, Australia finds itself in uncharted terrain. The Australians are at the very bottom of the points standings after losing both of their initial games. They might not go to the semifinals as things stand now.
The island country has won a record five Cricket World Championships, four of which have come in the last six tournaments. Failing to make it to the semi-finals of this year’s edition will be extremely a colossal failure for Pat Cummins’ side.
However, the tournament is a long one, and they still have seven more matches to move up in the standings. With that being said, let’s look at three reasons Australia can still qualify for the semifinals of the 2023 World Cup.
1. Australia have immense experience in their squad
Australia have always been a side that likes to fill their team with seasoned players. Seven players in the current squad were part of Australia’s squad that won the 2015 World Cup: David Warner, Steve Smith, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Josh Hazlewood.
These seven players aren’t only squad members; they also frequently appear in their starting lineup. These are the kinds of cricket players who know how to recover from a precarious situation since they have all played a lot of the game.
When the Kangaroos play Sri Lanka today in Lucknow, they need to return to winning ways. It will be difficult to prevent the Australian team from winning with all seven of those guys in the lineup.
2. Favorable short-term fixtures to gain momentum
Although Sri Lanka, they are no longer the force they were two decades ago. Australia have the perfect opportunity to register a win by beating the same opposition they defeated in the 2007 World Cup final.
In the next two matches after Sri Lanka, the five-time World Cup winners face Pakistan and Netherlands. Pakistan themselves will be coming into the game following a heavy defeat by their fierce rivals, India. The Aussies will be keen to make their situation worse.
India and South Africa have been two of the impressive teams in the tournament so far. Hence, losing to them might not harm Australia’s chances of reaching the semi-finals. As long as they win against other sides, they should make it to the knockout stage.
3. Other World Cup semifinal hopefuls have also had a rocky start
Despite the tournament’s early stages, the table reveals a distinct trend. Being unblemished puts India, South Africa, and New Zealand in a strong position to advance to the semifinals. Additionally, they all have a very simple game coming up to boost their position even further.
If Pat Cummins’ team defeats Sri Lanka today, it might tie England and their Ashes opponents in points. England has lost two games. Pakistan will also be involved in this semifinal brawl, as was previously said, because they still have a lot of high-caliber opponents to face in the coming weeks.
Therefore, Australia should technically perform well enough to qualify for the 2023 World Cup semifinals as long as they are able to win the ‘easy’ games as well as defeat Pakistan and England.