ICC World Cup 2019 | Australia could go really deep in the tournament, says Steve Waugh

The Australian Cricket team lost its way after Steve Smith and David Warner were banned from international cricket for their involvement in the ball tampering scandal and it seemed all over for them. However, they made a stunning comeback by winning the ODI series against India in India and then whitewashed Pakistan in a five-match series in UAE.

With the return of the tainted duo, the team has become even stronger and will pose a huge challenge for every team in the World Cup. Steve Waugh is optimistic that Australia will be one of the teams that other sides will probably be most fearful of and the team certainly has the ability to go really deep in the tournament.

“Every side will be wary of Australia. They know the potential of the Australian side. There’s been turmoil in Australian cricket over the last 12 months, but that has been put aside now. We’ve got our best players available to be picked in Smith and Warner,” Waugh was quoted as saying by the ICC website.

“Their form was very poor, but all of a sudden, they’ve won their last eight matches, and they’ve got Smith and Warner in the team. And that is ominous for other sides, they know how good these sides are. Australia will be one of the teams… probably not the favourite for the tournament, but the team that other sides will be probably most fearful of. They could do some damage. So I think Australia could go really deep in the tournament,” Waugh said.

The kind of cricket that England are playing at the moment, it is almost certain that they can go all the way in the tournament, especially because of the flat decks in the host country and the insane power-hitting ability that the team possesses. The 53-year-old picked England as the firm favourites to clinch their first World Cup and kept Australia and India on that second line of favouritism.

“England to me are probably the favourites – their form has been outstanding over the last couple of years. They are playing at home. Sometimes, that creates more pressure, but they’ve got a really good coach in Trevor Bayliss to keep the players grounded. So I think England would be favourites, and probably Australia and India on that second line of favouritism,” said Waugh.