5 Challenges That Remain For Steven Smith’s Australia In 2017

Jan 13, 2019 at 4:14 PM

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5 Challenges That Remain For Steven Smith’s Australia In 2017

Among all the recent years gone by, 2016 remains as the lowest year for Australia. The Kangaroos were whitewashed in all forms of the game, as despite some heroic individual performances, the team struggled big time. A T20I series loss (3-0) to India at home, a Test series whitewash in Sri Lanka and finally an ODI series whitewash in South Africa ensured that it was a forgettable year for them.

Nevertheless, the Australians did manage to pull things back a bit with a 3-0 win over Pakistan in Tests at home. Ahead of 2017, things seem a tad optimistic for them, but a few massive hurdles remain. Below are five of those challenges which could come in Australia’s way in the year to follow:

  1. Further test of Steve Smith’s leadership:

During the ODI series against Sri Lanka last year, an interesting aspect came to the fore as skipper Steven Smith left the assignment mid-way after two ODIs and returned home. The upcoming year is bound to pose further challenges as an away tour on Indian shores will be the ultimate test of Smith’s leadership. That will be followed by the ICC Champions Trophy in England, which will be Smith’s second assignment as Australia’s captain in an ICC event. He cannot afford to look helpless, like he did in 2016, else his side is headed for a further slide southwards.

Steve Smith

  1. Favorites for ICC Champions Trophy:

In lead up to the ICC Champions Trophy, it is safe to assume that despite some indifferent form last year, Australia are among the top contenders for the coveted title. In reality, the Champions Trophy is much tougher than the World Cup, as only the cream of the sides participate and the room for error remains minimal. To add to that, Australia are placed in the tougher group, that comprises New Zealand and England. In the previous edition in 2013, Australia endured a poor tournament and didn’t even make it to the semi-finals. The onus will be upon Steven Smith to ensure that he keeps his side inspired in a bid to regain the title.

  1. Rotation of pacers:

A worrying aspect for Australia last year was the fitness and injury concerns of ace pacers Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood. Starc missed out the World T20 and that cost Australia dearly. Hazlewood too was rested for a series or two, the away ODI series against South Africa being the noticeable one. Doing so, and rather testing fringe pacers at the end turned out to be disastrous move as the Kangaroos were whitewashed by the Proteas. In 2017, with many prestigious series lined up, managing the workload of their ace pacers will be a tricky task indeed.

  1. Quest to regain Ashes:

Towards the end of the year, Australia are indeed lined up for their biggest series. No bilateral series in the history of the game remains as magnanimous as the Ashes, thus the expectations from Australia remain high as well. Australia went on to concede the coveted urn to England in 2013, and now would be eager to regain the urn. When they previously hosted the Ashes in 2013/14, the Kangaroos whitewashed England and demolished them. This time however, England look a formidable team and thereby, the task of regaining the Ashes seems quite a tough one.

  1. Tough India Tour:

Arguably, the toughest tour for Australia in 2017, Steve Smith is bound for a massive headache ahead. To add to the fact that Australia have lost their previous 13 Tests in Asia doesn’t provide any encouragement either. India at home have proved to be an invincible side as Virat Kohli’s leadership has brought about a complete turnaround for them. After massacring England not so long ago, Kohli’s men will be fervent to inflict some serious damage to Australia.

If Australia are to even compete well in India, a few members will have to perform out of their skin indeed.

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