Australia has won the ICC T20 World Cup once in 2021. This was their first ever T20 World Cup title. Australia defeated New Zealand in the final by 8 wickets to lift the trophy.
The ICC T20 World Cup is the international championship of Twenty20 International cricket. Organized by cricket’s governing body, the International Cricket Council (ICC), the tournament currently consists of 16 teams, comprising the top ten teams from the rankings at the given deadline and six other teams chosen through a qualifying process. The first edition was played in South Africa in 2007.
Australia has been one of the strongest teams in T20 cricket since the format’s inception. However, despite having a very strong side over the years, success had eluded them in ICC T20 World Cups until the 2021 edition where they finally managed to win their first ever title.
In this article, we will look at Australia’s performance in previous T20 World Cups and analyze how many times they have emerged victorious in the premier tournament for the shortest format of the game.
Australia’s Performance in T20 World Cups Before 2021
The ICC T20 World Cup has been held 7 times so far. Australia has participated in all the editions but never managed to win the title despite having some very good teams.
Here is a quick overview of Australia’s performance in each of the T20 World Cups before 2021:
- 2007 – Semi-finals
- 2009 – Runner-up
- 2010 – Super 8s
- 2012 – Semi-finals
- 2014 – Super 10s
- 2016 – Super 10s
As we can see, Australia’s best performance came in the 2009 edition held in England where they finished as the runners-up. In the final, they lost to Pakistan by 8 wickets.
In the next few World Cups between 2010-2016, Australia failed to progress beyond the Super 8s/Super 10s stage which was a disappointing outcome considering they had very strong teams in this period.
Australia’s Team in T20 World Cup 2021
For the 2021 edition of the T20 World Cup, Australia went in with a very well balanced squad led by Aaron Finch. The team was filled with T20 specialists like David Warner, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, and Mitchell Marsh.
Here is a look at Australia’s 15-member squad for the T20 World Cup 2021:
| Player | Role |
|---|---|
| Aaron Finch (c) | Batsman |
| Ashton Agar | All-rounder |
| Pat Cummins (vc) | Bowler |
| Josh Hazlewood | Bowler |
| Josh Inglis | Wicketkeeper-batsman |
| Mitchell Marsh | All-rounder |
| Glenn Maxwell | All-rounder |
| Kane Richardson | Bowler |
| Steven Smith | Batsman |
| Mitchell Starc | Bowler |
| Marcus Stoinis | All-rounder |
| Matthew Wade | Wicketkeeper-batsman |
| David Warner | Batsman |
| Adam Zampa | Bowler |
This was undoubtedly one of the strongest and most balanced Australian squads assembled for a T20 World Cup. The team had it all – aggressive opening batsmen, power-hitters in the middle order, quality all-rounders, and an excellent bowling attack. Many experts and analysts predicted that this could finally be Australia’s year to win their maiden T20 World Cup title.
Australia’s Performance in 2021 T20 World Cup
Australia had a dominant run in the Super 12 stage of the 2021 T20 World Cup. They won 4 out of their 5 matches to finish second in Group 1 behind England and qualify for the semi-finals.
Here is a summary of Australia’s results in the Super 12 stage:
| Opponent | Result |
|---|---|
| South Africa | Won by 5 wickets |
| Sri Lanka | Won by 7 wickets |
| England | Lost by 8 wickets |
| Bangladesh | Won by 8 wickets |
| West Indies | Won by 8 wickets |
In the semi-final, Australia faced a strong Pakistan team. In a close encounter, Australia held their nerve to chase down the target of 177 and win by 5 wickets with one over to spare. Matthew Wade played a brilliant inning of 41* off just 17 balls to take Australia home.
In the final, Australia were up against New Zealand. Opting to bowl first, Australia restricted New Zealand to 172/4. In response, anchored by half-centuries from Mitchell Marsh and David Warner, Australia chased down the total comfortably with 7 balls to spare to win their maiden T20 World Cup title.
Key Takeaways
Here are some of the key takeaways from Australia’s 2021 T20 World Cup winning campaign:
- Australia played very consistent cricket throughout the tournament and maintained intensity in every match.
- The batting unit clicked as a whole with Marsh, Warner, and Wade playing match-winning knocks at different stages.
- The move to open with Warner and Marsh strengthened the batting order.
- Bowlers like Hazlewood, Cummins, Starc, and Zampa rose to the occasion whenever the team needed them.
- Australia saved their best performance for the final against New Zealand.
- The team showed great nerves to chase down tricky targets under pressure in the semi-final and final.
Conclusion
To summarize, Australia has won the ICC T20 World Cup 1 time in 2021. This was their first ever T20 World Cup trophy. The team led brilliantly by Aaron Finch put up an all-round clinical performance throughout the tournament and peaked at just the right time.
Australia has been a dominant force in ODI World Cups over the years but T20 success had eluded them for long. The 2021 edition finally marked Australia’s emergence as a powerhouse in the T20 format as well with the maiden T20 World Cup trophy in their cabinet now.
