World Cup 2023: Australia form guide, stats, strengths, weaknesses and all you need to know

Australia might be one of the favourites to win the 2023 ODI World Cup, but it certainly hasn’t been easy for them over the last few matches.The Aussies suffered a 3-2 series defeat to South Africa and followed it up with a 2-1 loss to India. Concerns regarding the fitness of a few players have been a major issue for the Pat Cummins-led outfit heading into the World Cup.Every time they enter a major ICC tournament, Australia are overwhelming favourites and this time, it will be no different. There will, however, be certain teams that can challenge Australia.Pakistan have looked as an established unit, needless to say, India are favourites, and if the recent series is to go by, even South Africa can spring a few surprises.Ahead of their World Cup opener against India on 8 October, here’s all you need to know regarding the Australian cricket team, from their recent form guide to their key player:ICC ranking: 3World Cup best performance: Champions (1987, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2015)StrengthsDepth in batting is what makes Australia a formidable side in this World Cup. The likes of David Warner and Steve Smith have been playing for Australia for so long, and add to that Marnus Labuschagne, who has replaced Ashton Agar in the squad.Although Travis Head remains out of the first half of the World Cup with an injury, his return for the latter half will be a huge boost, given his aggressive and fearless nature of batting.There are quality all-rounders in Mitchell Marsh and Glenn Maxwell too, who did the job for Australia in the third ODI against India recently.More so, considering this could very well be the last ODI World Cup for Smith and Warner, Australia will be even hungrier for success.Then there’s the pace attack, that’s led by Pat Cummins. Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood have a combined wickets tally of 462 among them.They can dismantle any batting lineup on their day and will be a force to be reckoned with come the World Cup.WeaknessesThe lack of options in the spin department is a glaring weakness for Australia. Adam Zampa is the only specialist spinner in the Aussie side, but chief selector George Bailey did seem to give out the fact that Glenn Maxwell is a frontline spinner."It's unfair on Maxi to say he's not a specialist spinner. His Twenty20 and one-day international spinning record is pretty handy and you can very much consider him a frontline option," said Bailey.Having said that, Zampa’s ODI record in India fares better than Maxwell’s. Zampa has picked 27 wickets in 16 ODIs in India, whereas Maxwell has just six in the same amount of matches.There is Tanveer Sangha as well, but his lack of international experience might be an issue. Key playerMitchell Starc looks set to be Australia’s key player in the upcoming World Cup. The pacer will be raring to in the showpiece event after nursing a shoulder injury. Starc had not played competitive cricket for Australia since the end of the Ashes in July, but returned to play the third ODI against India and finished with figures of 1/53.Although he has played just eight ODIs on Indian soil, his ability to generate swing and pace is what makes him a worthy pace option.Starc was on fire when Australia visited India in March, finishing with eight wickets from three ODIs, including a five-wicket haul in Vizag. He knows his game in and out and can be responsible for creating game-defining moments at crucial junctures.Matches played/won/lost since 2019 World CupPlayed: 44; Won: 24; Lost: 20Form guide (Last 10 matches, most recent first): W, L, L,L, L, L, W, W, W, W, LRecord in India since 2019 World Cup: Played: 9; Won: 4; Lost: 5Major changes in the squad since 2019 WC: Aaron Finch was Australia’s captain in the 2019 World Cup in England, where he led them to the semi-finals. This time around, it’s Pat Cummins who will be taking on the captaincy duties.Peter Handscomb and Usman Khawaja were both part of the 2019 World Cup, but it has been a transition of sorts for Australia since then. Cameron Green and Travis Head are now both part of the squad, although Head will miss the first half of the World Cup due to an injury.Marnus Labuschagne has been a sensation over the years and will be playing his maiden ODI World Cup. Alex Carey, though, retains his place from the 2019 World Cup squad.In the spin department, it was Nathan Lyon in 2019, but four years later, it will be Adam Zampa who will have a role to play. Glenn Maxwell will also keep his place from the 2019 squad.Josh Hazlewood was a shock omission from the 2019 World Cup squad but returns for the showpiece this time around. It was Kane Richardson in the pace attack in 2019, along with Starc and Cummins.World Cup squad: Pat Cummins (captain), Steve Smith, Alex Carey, Josh Inglis, Sean Abbott, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Mitch Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa, Mitchell Starc.Schedule8 October: vs India in Chennai12 October: vs South Africa in Lucknow16 October: vs Sri Lanka in Lucknow20 October: vs Pakistan in Bengaluru25 October: vs Netherlands in New Delhi28 October: vs New Zealand in Dharamsala4 November: vs England in Ahmedabad7 November: vs Afghanistan in Mumbai12 November: vs Bangladesh in PuneClick here for more Cricket World Cup 2023 news