Josh Kempton: Not time for Australia to panic ahead of T20 World Cup just yet despite whitewash in Pakistan

Australia’s Twenty20 whitewash at the hands of Pakistan has brought some early concerns over their T20 World Cup campaign to the fore, but it is not quite time for alarm bells to start blaring yet. How the three heavy defeats unfolded was eyebrow-raising, with all but three of their 28 wickets to fall over the course of the series being snared by spin ahead of a tournament which will be staged across Sri Lanka and India. But Mitch Marsh’s side will look very different come the start of the World Cup. Wicketkeeper Josh Inglis and all-rounder Marcus Stoinis played only one game against Pakistan, and key trio Nathan Ellis, Tim David and Glenn Maxwell did not feature at all. Inglis and Maxwell are the team’s two best players of spin, while David and Ellis are very hard to replace as death specialists in their respective disciplines. Serious concerns must now be held over the participation of Josh Hazlewood — quietly the country’s best white-ball bowler — in the tournament, but what unfolded in Pakistan provides a timely reminder seamers may only play a muted role in subcontinent conditions. After a disappointing showing at the 2024 T20 World Cup, Australia have modernised by reorienting around power and depth in their batting. If that sounds familiar, it is exactly how Perth Scorchers claimed the title in the recently-completed Big Bash League season. Coming into the Pakistan series, the Aussies had won 18 of their 21 completed short-form internationals since exiting the most recent global tournament. Steve Smith’s absence has now come into sharp focus, but that record was assembled with him sidelined. The World Cup’s format could also afford them the luxury of sleepwalking through the group stage. A clash with co-hosts Sri Lanka will be tough but wins over Ireland, Zimbabwe and Oman would almost certainly be enough to see them through to the Super Eights. T20 cricket is volatile by definition and the possibility of a rare Australian World Cup misfire cannot be discounted. But equally, it should not be seen as a surprise if they get on a roll which ends with another trophy being hoisted.