Former Aussie great and the greatest ever spinner to grace the game, Shane Warne feels that defending champions Australia will defend their World Cup title and go onto lift their 6th World Cup title. Shane Warne is of the opinion that the return of David Warner and Steve Smith will work wonders for the national team and to get their services back in the lead upto the showpiece event has been sensational.
He further added that Australia knows how to win big matches and tend to rise to the occasion in big-ticket matches which will go in their favour. “I think everybody wrote Australia off because they were pretty ordinary and played some poor cricket over the last 12 months, but over the last couple of months, the ODI team has found its belief.
They have started to think like all the Aussie sides of yesteryears and they think they can win it from anywhere. And you can’t manufacture that. You have to do it a few times. I think going into the World Cup, India and England have to be the favourites because they have played the best cricket in recent times.
But if you look back at the history of how Australia performed at World Cups, they won the last World Cup and have won 4 of the last 6 tournaments so they enjoy the big tournament and I believe they can win the World Cup and I think they will win the World Cup.
“However, they have to get past a very strong India and England side. If you ask me who are the favourites, it is India and England, but I just think Australia have come back together at the right time and you put Warner and Smith in that mix, it is suddenly looking a very good side.
“He (Smith) is a huge player. If you look back at the time in March last year and you say who were the top five players in the world, you would say (Virat) Kohli, AB de Villiers, Steve Smith, David Warner and Kane Williamson. So Australia had two of the top five players and to lose them was a big loss,” he pointed.
Australia has a decent World Cup side and the return of Warner and Steve Smith will definitely provide solidity in the top order and the middle order. They have won their last two ODI series against India and Pakistan which will keep them in perfect shape ahead of the quadrennial event.