Dean Jones on Saturday (16th February) has asked Australia to be confident that they can win the upcoming 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup, saying belief is everything to winning such mega events.
Jones, former Australia batsman, further went on to call for some improvements in the key areas of top-order batting and death bowling to defend the title in England and Wales.
In a column for The Age, Jones wrote, “We have to firmly believe we can win. And that's the kicker. Belief is everything to winning World Cups. The right attitude is that no matter what the opposition has in store for us, we have an answer. Australia can deliver. Dare to dream, boys. Dare to dream.”
He was part of the 1987 World Cup-winning squad which was the worst-ranked team in the event but their confidence made them clinch their maiden title and that’s why the right attitude is important to win the big matches.
Jones recalled, “In 1987, we were the worst-ranked team to win a World Cup. We lost our last five games before the tournament, but we felt we were getting better with each game. Each player knew we were still developing as a squad and we knew exactly what our roles were within the team.”
Meanwhile, Australia hasn't been in great form in the One-Day Internationals having won just three matches while losing 13 since the start of 2018, eventually, slipping to No.6 in the ICC ODI Rankings, but Jones believes that it is all about top-order, comprising with David Warner and Steve Smith, who can win the big matches singlehandedly, saying they just need to fill confidence in them.
He continued, “Our best option (for the top-order) is Aaron Finch, David Warner, Shaun Marsh, and Steve Smith. These four men can win games off their own bat.”
Commenting on bowling attack, he wrote, “We need to get wickets in the middle overs. That's where Pat Cummins and Fawad Ahmed come in. Fawad, in particular, can be devastating in the middle. He has all the variety he needs. He just can't get lazy in his action and delivery stride. He needs to rip it and get busy and he needs a captain to believe in him.”
Jones signed off by saying, “My major concern is our death bowling. I have no problem with Mitchell Starc for our death bowler. My worry is Josh Hazlewood. I think Josh can do the job, but does he have the variety and pace required if a batsman is set? If not, who will bowl our final two overs with Starc?”
(With The Age Inputs)
