India v Australia | Bench strength makes Australia serious contenders for World Cup, says Alex Carey

SportsCafe Desk

BySportsCafe Desk,SportsCafe Editor

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Australia wicket-keeper Alex Carey has been of the opinion that Australia’s bench strength could give them an edge over others in the World Cup. After a string of ODI series losses, a T20I series win against India, and a cut-throat ODI series leveled at 2-2 will give them a lot of confidence.

Since 2017, Australia have lost six ODI series on the trot, two each against India and England, and one each against South Africa and New Zealand. Hence, coming to India ahead of the World Cup saw the entire side under fire from fans, media, and former cricketers.

Australia, however, have managed to turn things around with a thumping victory against favourites India in the T20I series by a margin of 2-0, and also putting in a phenomenal performance in the ongoing ODI series with one match still remaining. A win on Wednesday would see the side winning their first ODI series on Indian soil since 2009.

The return of banned duo of Steve Smith and David Warner has been welcome news for the Aussies and the current players doing well only strengthens their options ahead of the extravaganza in May.

“As members of the Australian team, we have been working very hard in the last 12 to 18 months. Some success has started to come our way. I am confident we will do really well with the squad we take to the World Cup. Our bench strength makes us serious contenders for the World Cup,” Alex Carey said in pre-match press conference, reported TOI. 

“Those ( Steve Smith, David Warner and Mitchell Starc ) are definitely some big names that might come back into the line. The guys that are in the side are performing well, so it’s only healthy for Australian cricket that the guys in the side are playing well,” Carey added.

Carey also threw light on their decoding of spinning duo Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal, who were taken to the cleaners in the fourth ODI, getting smashed for 144 runs combined together.

“There has been a fair bit of media analysis about how we have played spin in the past. But, we have worked really hard on this aspect. It’s hugely satisfying to see some reward in that regard but it’s no surprise as the guys are doing so much hard work,” reflected Carey.

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