World Twenty20 team guide: Australia

Five things to know about Australia ahead of the World Twenty20.

Shane Watson of Australia. Themba Hadebe / AP
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Five things to know about the Australia team at the World Twenty20 tournament in Bangladesh.

Strong belief

Shane Watson, the all-rounder, believes Australia has the depth and balance it needs to win the World T20 title for the first time.

“This is the best squad we’ve ever assembled in Twenty20 cricket,” said Watson, who has contested four previous world T20 events.

“We’ve got the most balanced side I’ve ever been involved in. We have firepower in our batting, all the way down to No 10.

“We’ve got high-quality opening bowlers, death bowlers and spinners. We have versatility. In all conditions, against any opposition we can match up really well.”

Confident Clarke

Michael Clarke, the Test captain, will not be at the World T20 but believes the squad selected will take momentum from Australia’s victories in recent Test series against England and South Africa.

“I think the confidence the test players will take out of the South African series and bring into the Twenty20 team will certainly help,” Clarke said.

“So I’m backing the boys. I’m really confident they’ll win.”

Instinctive play

George Bailey, the Australia T20 captain, is one of cricket’s renaissance men – proficient in all forms of the game. As such, he is able to judge how the skills of one form transfer to another and he said T20 cricket demands an instinctive approach.

“If you play a lot of Twenty20 cricket there can be a tendency to fall into habits that are potentially risky in Test cricket,” Bailey said.

“Even if I go into a match saying to myself ‘don’t play that shot’, I’m still thinking about playing that shot. It’s the same idea as saying ‘don’t think of an elephant’. I’m thinking of the elephant.”

He has guided Australia to recent T20 series wins over England and South Africa.

Brad Hogg

At 43, Brad Hogg had every reason to believe his international cricket career was over. But a big season in the domestic T20 league catapulted him into the Australian team and he is determined to take his late chance with both hands.

“It’s great,” Hogg said. “I thought the 2012 T20 was going to be my last. It just really emphasises that saying, that you have to play every game as if it was going to be your last.

“If you do that you’re going to have success and that’s what I’ve been doing for the last three years.”

Mitchell Starc

It is a common consensus in T20 cricket that spin bowling and aggressive batting are usually the vital elements to winning the title.

Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc has taken 17 wickets in T20 internationals at an average of 17.47 and he believes aggressive fast bowling is just as key a component for any side.

“It’s not just about bringing about dot balls,” Starc said. “Wicket balls are dot balls as well and usually followed by a few more dot balls. I’ve always tried to be a very attacking bowler.”

Australia had a setback on Sunday when paceman Mitchell Johnson was ruled out with a toe infection and replaced by Doug Bollinger.

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