Apart from two disastrous World Cup losses, 2024 has been Australia’s most prolific in the T20 format and it has largely been built off of their destructive Powerplay batting.
Travis Head has been vital to Australia’s ‘from ball one’ attack in the first six overs, with a return to the Indian Premier League earlier this year also providing a huge flow of benefits for the national team.
Australia are ranked first by some margin in all Powerplay metrics in men’s T20 internationals this year, a major factor in the team securing the most T20 wins (14) they have had in a calendar year.
Their win percentage of 77.77 from 18 matches is second only to world champions India (84.21%) among the major cricket playing nations.
Driven by an average loss of just 1.3 wickets in the Powerplay per match, Australia have the highest run-rate, strike rate and collective batting average in the first six overs in T20 internationals in 2024, as well as facing the fewest balls per boundary.
One of those T20 World Cup defeats, which ultimately proved the difference in ending their tournament at the Super Eight stage, saw Australia surrender three wickets in the first six overs on a worn St Vincent’s surface chasing Afghanistan’s 6-148, which had previously lined up. a 118-run first wicket stand.
The second, against India 36 hours later, saw Head and captain Mitch Marsh power Australia to 1-65 after six overs before ending the chase for the 206 set by the eventual champions.
While Australia had a remarkable run to their first T20 title in 2021, their win percentage of 45.45 that year – which included 4-1 series losses to both the West Indies and Bangladesh – pointed to a team still finding its feet.
This year, however, Marsh’s side have delivered the consistency often associated with Australia’s major Test and one-day teams.
“Across the board we know we’re a really good cricket team,” Marsh told cricket.com.au after a washout in the third T20 in Manchester, which resulted in a 1-1 draw with England.
“Obviously we’ve given guys some games (and) some guys have had different responsibilities throughout.
“We’ve got young lads who have gained experience and ‘Heady’s’ had an incredible 12 months breaking into the top flight.
“T20 is about clicking at the right time and trying to be as consistent as we can.”
That consistency has been exemplified in Head, who since joining Sunrisers Hyderabad in March for his first IPL campaign since 2017, has averaged 42 strikes at almost 185 runs per 100 balls across T20 cricket, which includes his stint with Washington Freedom in the American League.
The left-hander points to regularity in T20 cricket as a contributing factor to his success, and Australia will hope the same goes for newcomers Josh Inglis, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Matt Short and Jake Fraser-McGurk as they build towards the 2026 World Cup.
“I haven’t played much T20 cricket until the last 12 months,” Head said after his 23-ball 59 in the series opener against England.
“When I work on my game, it’s a lot about the technique and what I’m trying to achieve with my swing. I feel like I’m in really good positions to hit the ball.”
The group listed above, apart from Inglis with 21 appearances, had all played fewer than 10 T20 caps prior to Australia’s UK tour.
Green and Hardie have already shown the benefit of consistent exposure at international level with a stunning death partnership in the second T20 in Cardiff, adding 36 runs in 17 deliveries to take Australia’s total to just 200.
With head coach Andrew McDonald indicating that Short, Fraser-McGurk and Green are the long-term options to replace retired opener David Warner, how Australia shapes its middle-order looms as an intriguing conundrum ahead of the next global tournament in India and Sri Lanka in 18 months.
Josh Inglis scored a record 43-ball from first drop (Marsh’s regular spot) against Scotland, while Green impressed with scores of 36 and 62no at No.4 in what is usually Glenn Maxwell’s batting position.
Marcus Stoinis – one of the team’s best at the World Cup in June – and Tim David saw limited opportunities in Scotland, both missing out on their two outings against England.
Australia’s run-rate and strike-rate drop significantly in the middle overs (7-15), and their balls per boundary rise, which is perhaps to be expected as the fielding restrictions ease for a side that is scoring seven runs faster per 100 balls than the second-best team in the Powerplay ( West Indies – 164 to Australia’s 171).
But in the last two games they have also been exposed by the leg-spin of Adil Rashid and Liam Livingstone, who combined for seven wickets at Southampton and Cardiff while conceding fewer than seven runs per over between them.
Tim David was out for a sweep shot for the first time in his international career in the first match at Southampton, while Stoinis was out against Livingstone both times in the series.
Australia’s collective strike rate against spin in T20Is 2024 is just 140, 30 runs less than against pace, with their 170.09 the highest of any team.
The absence of Maxwell – widely regarded as Australia’s best white-ball batter against spin – was undoubtedly a contributing factor during the T20 leg of their UK tour.
Head says Australia’s mantra at the top is to find the boundary from the first ball, and they have posted their two highest Powerplay scores in the format’s history in both series starts (1-113 against Scotland and 1-86 against England).
Should they continue to push the boundaries through the middle overs with the batter still growing into international cricket, anything is possible for a team that is no longer a T20 underachiever but one expected to win the T20 World Cup every other year.
Qantas UK Tour 2024
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Australia T20 Team: Mitchell Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood (England games only), Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Riley Meredith, Matt Short ( England) games only), Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa
September 4: Australia beat Scotland by seven wickets
September 6: Australia beat Scotland by 70 runs
September 7: Australia beat Scotland by six wickets
September 11: Australia beat England by 28 runs
September 13: England beat Australia by three wickets
September 15: Match abandoned
Australia ODI Team: Mitch Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Short, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa
September 19: First ODI v England, Trent Bridge, Nottingham, 9.30pm AEST
September 21: Second ODI v England, Headingley, Leeds, 8pm AEST
September 24: Third ODI v England, Riverside, Chester-le-Street, 9.30pm AEST
September 27: 4th ODI v England, Lord’s, London, 9.30pm AEST
September 29: Fifth ODI v England, County Ground, Bristol, 8pm AEST
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