Australia coach Andrew McDonald previews their ICC T20 Cricket World Cup clash with Namibia. A win would secure their place in the super eight
Sir Viv Richards Stadium, Antigua, West Indies
Sir Viv Richards Stadium, Antigua, West Indies
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00Andrew, would you like to play your other players in the squad over the next two matches?
00:06Would you see that as important to get everyone a game before the next stage?
00:11I think first things first, qualify for the next stage.
00:16So Namibia, we need a win to guarantee ourselves a way through.
00:21And then I think after that, once we've firmed up that qualification, then we can start to
00:25look at that potential if we feel like it's necessary.
00:29So first things first, Namibia, qualify.
00:32We know if we win this one, then we get the Q next to our name.
00:34So yeah, we don't look too much further ahead than that at this stage.
00:39Andrew, is there any update on how Mitchell Marsh is going with his bowling?
00:42We've seen him bowl a couple of times before the last two games.
00:46Do you expect him to be bowling soon?
00:49Yeah, very hopeful that he will be back ready to bowl in matches.
00:55I'd say the likelihood of that against Namibia, very slim, potentially increasing into Scotland.
01:01And then I think he should have a clear run at the Super 8s and be able to bowl there.
01:08The assumption there is that we qualify, and as I said, Namibia first thing.
01:12And then we can start to work out what it looks like for the Super 8s and beyond.
01:18Andrew, your bowlers were really effective during the middle overs.
01:21What impressed you the most during that period?
01:23And do you see that as a strength for your side?
01:26Yeah, I think over time our bowling has been a strength.
01:30I think the way they operate together, they know each other's games.
01:34They're really clear on the planning going in, and I think we'll well plan for that game.
01:38You always get the benefit when you bowl second to see what the conditions are like for the team that bowls first.
01:43So our problem last game was assessing the conditions as a batting unit.
01:47England's was assessing it as a bowling unit.
01:49So we got a look at the wicket.
01:50We were able to then identify the key parts that would work.
01:53It didn't really change from the prep.
01:55We felt as though we had a good understanding of the conditions.
01:57And yes, a lot of it was just reinforcing during our batting innings what we were going to do.
02:01And I thought Josh Hazelwood, bowling a difficult end, always stands up.
02:05Paddy Cummins, his evolution as a T20 player, the more games that he plays is really impressive.
02:11And Adam Zampa, arguably one of our best white ball bowlers ever across ODI cricket and T20 cricket.
02:19Threw up when we needed him to with key breakthroughs.
02:22So really impressive.
02:23So yes, we feel as though we've got options, which is the nice thing.
02:25And Marcus Stoinis, I thought was very impressive.
02:28That sixth over in particular to shut out the power play under huge pressure.
02:33I think that was a big over in the game.
02:34And also the 11-20 got the wicket.
02:36So yes, he's really important to the way we balance our bowling.
02:41Andrew, what are the kind of tactical different things you need to be aware of at this ground?
02:47A new ground for you guys and the opposition too.
02:50What would he kind of know about Namibia?
02:52We had the luxury of playing him in a practice game.
02:55So there's, yes, it would have been sight unseen coming into this if we didn't play them in the practice game.
03:00So we've got to look at them there.
03:01Equally, they've got to look at us as well.
03:03So I'm not sure how that sort of unfolds in terms of who gets the benefit of that.
03:08In terms of the ground here, the surface, we had a look at that yesterday on TV.
03:12We were able to look at what it offered.
03:14We're playing on the same surface.
03:16Clearly a strong breeze as well to contend with.
03:18So there's going to be a lot of defensive options from certain ends in terms of the way that we want to stack up our bowling.
03:23And equally on the batting front there, we can use that wind.
03:26And we saw that was a big factor in yesterday's game.
03:30And I think it'll be a big factor across the tournament really.
03:33A lot of the CPL players talk about the wind and how much of a bearing that has on games.
03:37And I think that's real.
03:38So, yeah, we expect that surface to be pretty good looking at it.
03:42You guys have spoken a bit about, you know, squad mentality.
03:45But just kind of what you said there about the importance of qualifying before thinking about anything else.
03:50It's fair to say whatever team you roll out tomorrow, that's kind of what you see as your strongest.
03:54Like you pick your strongest 11 tomorrow.
03:56Yeah, we'll pick our strongest 11 for the opposition and the conditions and where players are at as well.
04:02So we've got a short turnaround from the England game into this one.
04:05There's travel involved, so it's taking all that in.
04:08And we won't take all that in until this afternoon.
04:10We'll check in with our players where they're at, make sure that they're ready to perform ultimately for tomorrow's game.
04:16So we saw that in the first game with Ellis playing.
04:20We believe that whatever 11 we put out there, it's going to be very, very strong and arguably our best 11.
04:24And I know you're not taking that Super 8s qualification for granted.
04:28But do you have one eye on that?
04:30How busy that period's going to be?
04:32Like I think maybe five games in nine days if you make the final.
04:35Yeah, we got that a long time ago in terms of the planning.
04:38And you plan for best case scenario and you plan for worst case scenario.
04:42So there's plans based upon each scenario that will unfold.
04:45And yeah, clearly there's a great challenge there for teams to navigate through the Super 8s.
04:49It's game, travel, game, travel, game.
04:51So it's going to be difficult in how you manage your resources and make sure they are ready to perform with short turnarounds.
04:58There's a bit of an art to that.
04:59So it may not necessarily be a locked 11 through that period for teams.
05:03And yeah, they're hypotheticals.
05:05And as I said, we've got Namibia in front of us first.
05:07That's probably more coach chat in the background as to working through that with the players.
05:11They're firmly focused on tomorrow's game.
05:15Andrew, it's looking like at least one of the top two spots is going to come down to net run rate.
05:19I'm just wondering if that Scotland game, whether you would go into,
05:22if you say you do get the win tomorrow and you qualify, would you go into that Scotland game thinking of,
05:27would it be a factor in your mind, possibly potentially knocking out England in terms of the way you were looking to win that game?
05:35Not really.
05:36Not really focused on England and where they're at.
05:38We played them, we've moved past them and we'll do what's important to us within those games.
05:44We haven't got the option of talking about that at the moment.
05:47Namibia first and foremost.
05:49England have clearly got their own work to do in the next couple of games.
05:53We were put in a similar situation in the last World Cup where we had to chase net run rate.
05:57It's always difficult.
05:58You're always dependent on other results.
06:02It's not a nice situation to be in, but as I said, that's for them to work through, not us.
06:07Do you like the system of net run rate as the tiebreaker when points are level?
06:13I think so.
06:14I don't think there's any other way of really doing it.
06:18It creates interest.
06:19The only thing is that you don't carry your net run rate through to the Super 8s, which is a little bit interesting.
06:23The whole tournament starts again.
06:26I would have liked to have seen the benefit of the early rounds and what you were able to do in the early rounds,
06:30and even right down to the seeds.
06:33Clearly we're seeded number two.
06:35We can't change that seeding, so it doesn't change what happens in the Super 8s for us in terms of seedings.
06:40We'll work through after Namibia.
06:42We've got Namibia in front of us and that's our focus, not England.
06:45Andrew, just as a general principle, do you think it's right that the last game of a group stage should happen
06:51after the other teams have played so that there is technically an advantage for the two teams playing last?
06:56Is that how a World Cup should work?
06:58You'd have to have a rolling schedule then, wouldn't you, to work out what was going to happen and unfold?
07:02I know other sports do that now.
07:03They don't lock away their later rounds until they've seen the first part of the season.
07:08That's probably more an AFL lens on that, but I think sometimes you're a beneficiary of that position
07:13and other times you're not.
07:15So whatever unfolds, there might be a wait for teams to work out whether they're going through the Super 8s or not.
07:24Can I just ask about your two reserves that you've got here?
07:27Obviously Jake seems to generate a lot of interest already.
07:31Tell us a little bit about those two, but especially him.
07:35How does he handle all that attention when he's not even in the squad?
07:39A little interest is probably an understatement.
07:41A lot of interest leading into the tournament and our final 15.
07:45But great to see those guys arrive.
07:47They've brought an energy in and around the group, which is always nice.
07:51There was no need for them to be here too early.
07:54If anything was to move on us in this period of time, then those guys were coming in to be options.
08:00But yeah, high quality players.
08:03Unlucky not to be included in the 15, but great to have them here to soak it up, to be around the group.
08:09Matty Shorts had a bit more time around the group, so he's a bit more familiar to us.
08:13But the ability for us as coaches to connect with Jake and for him to immerse himself in a World Cup,
08:18I think is going to be hugely beneficial going forward, even if he wasn't to play a part going through the back end.
08:25Just on that injury, you hope that he can really take something out of the experience, like in the nets today you could see.
08:32Glenn Maxwell was helping him out there.
08:34Are you hoping he can draw on those players and their experiences?
08:38Yeah, I think first and foremost it's really Michael Divinito working with Jake to get an understanding of how he goes about it.
08:45A lot of the hard yards are done by Div.
08:48Anyone that's at training and watches him get to work and connect with the batters, it's a power of work.
08:53So his ability over the next few weeks to connect with him.
08:56He's a player going forward for Australian cricket.
08:59Clearly we've got some players that are closer to the end.
09:02Over the past 12 months I've been really excited by the gaps that have been created, sometimes by design,
09:09with other key series and the opportunity those younger players have had.
09:12It feels like we've got a lot more depth than people perceived 12 months ago.
09:16Jake's really a part of that, Matthew Short's a part of that, Spencer Johnson, Xavier Bartlett.
09:21It's exciting for what the future looks like, but I suppose we're focused on the present at the moment.
09:28Andrew, just after that last game, where do you think Glenn Maxwell's at?
09:33He made a solid contribution in that game. Do you feel like he's going in the right direction?
09:38Yeah, it's a step forward.
09:40Some time in the middle it was a difficult surface outside the power play, a challenge with spin.
09:44I think it ended up being 28 off 25 balls.
09:46But it was a significant innings in allowing the rest of the batting line-up to get where we wanted them to get to.
09:52So albeit it wasn't the dynamic innings that we're used to of Glenn Maxwell, it was a different type of innings.
09:57But it was important to allow Marcus Storness to come in where he did, allow Tim David and Matthew Wade.
10:03And then you were able to get to those 200-plus scores, albeit he wasn't at what he sees as his best.
10:10But I think it's a step closer.
10:12He's come off a poor IPL time in the middle, bowled a good first over.
10:16We took a risk in his second over because the way the bowling was unfolding and the distribution of that.
10:21He was exposed there and Mo took him down.
10:24But he's important to the team in general and he's fielding.
10:28He was outstanding again.
10:30In the 2021 World Cup you're in a position where things are out of your hands a bit.
10:36Is it nice to be perhaps in the position you're in now where you could be deciding another team's fate?
10:44I think that's a pretty obvious statement, Benny.
10:47No, it is.
10:48We probably started slow in our last two World Cups.
10:52The 50-over one was well documented where we went zip in two.
10:55And then New Zealand gave us a bit of a touch-up at the SCG.
10:59So it's nice to start fast.
11:03Omar was niggly in those first hand overs, the surface, settling into a World Cup.
11:08But the way the boys played against England, that's the style that we want to play.
11:12The guys are committed to that and if we fail playing that way, we're comfortable with that.
11:17But really good to have that solid performance early on in the tournament.
11:22It gives us a lot of confidence.
11:24And then the weird moving parts as we go along.
11:27It's very rare that you get everyone going through unscathed in terms of fitness and that type of thing.
11:32So there'll be problems that come up, but it's nice to have it in our own hands, definitely.
11:38I think I'm right in saying this.
11:40The last time Australia's men lost a World Cup match, either format, to a non-test playing nation was 83 Zimbabwe.
11:48How aware are you guys of that kind of proud record?
11:52And do you have any theories as to why Australia, unlike other teams, we look at Pakistan, England,
11:57certainly have it in them to lose to associates.
11:59Why Australia just don't?
12:06Can't answer that, no.
12:07I think every game we prepare for, like it's a big nation.
12:11So I think the preparation, the detail which we go into stays consistent.
12:15Look, I can't speak for what's happened in the past.
12:17I'm sure John Buchanan will have a theory on it, Tim Nielsen will have a theory on it, Justin Lange will have a theory on it.
12:22So for us, it's been consistent in our approach to preparation, making sure that we're across everything
12:28and make sure that there's no gaps in that.
12:30So I think, yeah, all we can do is plan for Namibia, plan for Oman, the way that we plan for England,
12:37South Africa, whoever we come up against.
12:39So I think, yeah, that attention to detail, I would say, goes a long way.
12:43And I'm not sure how other teams prepare for it as well.
12:46So I think you're referring to probably England's record in some way there.
12:50I mean, no, but I mean, just as a general interest in Australia,
12:53kind of whether it's like a national, whether it's a sort of a characteristic of the country or, you know,
12:57the kind of critiques you produce.
12:591983 to now is a hell of a lot different.
13:01So as I said, I think everyone will have a different take on what that looks like.
13:05I like to think that we pride ourselves on our preparation and attention to detail in planning for all opponents.
13:10So there's no surprises.
13:13Other than that, I haven't got much for you around that question.
13:19Cheers. Thanks, guys.