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Former Australian captain Mark Taylor has provided insights into Australia‘s lacklustre performance in the ongoing T20I series against India.
Australia’s struggles in the ongoing T20I series
Despite facing what essentially amounts to an India B side, Australia has suffered consecutive defeats in the T20I series. The team, featuring some members from the recently concluded ODI World Cup 2023 squad, including Steve Smith, Josh Inglis, Marcus Stoinis and Sean Abbott has found it challenging to secure victories. Even with Glenn Maxwell and Adam Zampa returned for the second game, they couldn’t salvage their side from consecutive defeats.
Mark Taylor believes ODI World Cup hangover impacting players
Taylor suggested that the players might be experiencing a hangover from the recently concluded CWC 2023, affecting their performance in the T20I series. The quick transition from a high-intensity tournament to another series has left some players struggling to deliver their best on the field.
“There’s no doubt a bit of a hangover over there, these five T20 matches against India certainly haven’t got the same importance I think from anyone’s point of view as the World Cup final did have only a week or so ago. I think it’s almost unfixable to be totally honest,” Taylor was quoted as saying by Wide World of Sports.
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Player fatigue and emerging leagues
Taylor also pointed out the challenge of player fatigue, especially with the increasing frequency of cricket leagues worldwide. The emergence of new and lucrative cricket leagues provides players with tempting opportunities, making it challenging for them to decline, potentially affecting their readiness for international assignments.
“There’s a lot of different people pulling the games different ways, there’s people … that want to see more Test cricket. Then you’ve got this new kid on the block (called) T20, you’ve got leagues springing up everywhere, not just the IPL or the Big Bash here in Australia, you’ve got American leagues, Saudi leagues, Carribean leagues, Pakistan leagues, there’s leagues that are going to spring up all the time and they’re very attractive to play,” the 59-year-old concluded.
Australia’s uphill battle and road ahead
The Australian team finds itself in a challenging position, trailing 0-2 in the ongoing five-game series against India. The first two games, marked by high-scoring encounters, have tilted in favour of the Indian side. Now, the Australian contingent aims to stage a comeback in the upcoming third T20I scheduled in Guwahati on Tuesday, November 28. The team faces the task of overcoming the deficit and reversing the trend to remain competitive in the series. The third T20I becomes a crucial juncture for Australia to showcase resilience and turn the tide in their favour.
