Reinforcements off to India as Australia’s World Cup winners hit the wall

Ben McDermott, Josh Philippe and Chris Green are among the reinforcements being drafted into Australia’s bedraggled Twenty20 squad in India as the remnants of the victorious ODI World Cup team hit the wall after more than three months away.

The Australians have been defeated by what is effectively an India A side in the opening two games of the bilateral series, being played to fulfil the BCCI’s broadcast contracts and annual allocation of matches to state associations.

Travis Head celebrates his century in the World Cup final.

Only the home side’s captain, Suryakumar Yadav, was among the players soundly beaten by Australia in the global tournament final in Ahmedabad. Shreyas Iyer returns to the squad after game three.

But for the likes of Travis Head, Glenn Maxwell, Steve Smith, Adam Zampa, Sean Abbott, Marcus Stoinis and Josh Inglis (plus travelling reserve Tanveer Sangha), the extension of the World Cup trip to include the T20 series has stretched the tour out to enormous dimensions, with Australia’s home season already well underway.

The majority of those players had also taken part in a white-ball tour of South Africa prior to the World Cup. Captain Pat Cummins, David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Alex Carey and Cameron Green returned home after the tournament final.

CA declined to comment on Monday about which of Head, Smith, Maxwell, Zampa, Abbott, Stoinis or Inglis would be returning home early.

Smith has, meanwhile, confirmed he will play for the Sydney Sixers in their opening Big Bash League game on December 8, before flying to Perth to join the Test squad to face Pakistan.

Cummins, Mitchell Starc and CA chair Mike Baird are to appear with the World Cup at the SCG during the lunch break of the New South Wales versus Tasmania Sheffield Shield match at the SCG on Tuesday, but the India series has meant there is no opportunity for the players to celebrate at home together.

This stands in contrast to the lavish ticker tape parades and public events afforded to previous Australian teams for overseas triumphs including the 1989 Ashes tour, the 1995 win in the West Indies and the 1999 World Cup victory in England.

Bowling woes for Australia highlighted in second T20 loss to India

India’s top order had fired on all cylinders to fashion a 44-run win over Australia to put the home side 2-0 ahead in the five-match T20 series in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday.

Put in to bat, India’s top three batters smashed rapid fifties to power the hosts to a commanding 4-235 at the Greenfield International Stadium.

India’s Rinku Singh hammered 31 of nine balls at the death.

In reply, Australia failed to fully recover from a top-order collapse and managed only 9-191.

Australia beat India in the final of the 50-over World Cup earlier this month and both teams have fielded second-string squads for the T20 series.

Ruturaj Gaikwad (58), Yashasvi Jaiswal (53), Ishan Khan (52) and Rinku Singh (31no off nine balls) capitalised on the tourists’ waywardness with the ball.

India’s total was their highest in T20s against Australia – surpassing their previous best of 8-209 set three days ago at Visakhapatnam – and easily the best score at Greenfield International Stadium.

Australia’s Marcus Stoinis fell for 45 of 25 balls.

Australia bowled poorly in the powerplay before regularly losing control as the dew set in early, dishing up 12 wides and a no-ball via a chest-high full-toss from Glenn Maxwell.

Nathan Ellis (3-45) picked up three of the four wickets but was expensive in doing so, Sean Abbott’s three overs were dispatched for 56 and Australia’s three spinners were ineffective.

Jaiswal was the early aggressor, dominating India’s 1-77 powerplay, which was their best in T20s against Australia.

The 21-year-old opener welcomed Abbott to the bowling crease by going 4-4-4-6-6 to bring up his half-century inside the fourth over.

After Jaiswal miscued Ellis to Adam Zampa, Ishan Kishan took over and targeted Australia’s spinners.

He raised his 50 by walloping Tanveer Sangha for back-to-back sixes before slicing a wide, off-balance, one-handed shot to Ellis in the deep.

Gaikwad was the anchor of the innings, becoming the third Indian batter to move past 50.

Acting captain Suryakumar Yadav, game one hero Rinku and Tilak Varma all teed off at the death, Australia’s last two overs thumped for 45.

Australia faltered early in their chase and were reeling at 4-58 in the eighth over before Marcus Stoinis (45) and Tim David (37) arrested the slide.

Wade made 42 not out down the order, but Australia still finished well short of their target.

The teams now move to Guwahati for the third ODI on Tuesday.

With AAP, Reuters

News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.