Australia coach Andrew McDonald spoke about how the team regrouped after losing their first two matches in the league stage of the recent ICC World Cup 2023 in India. Australia went on to beat India in the final to lift the CWC trophy for the sixth time.

Australia coach Andrew McDonald revealed how the 134-run loss against South Africa turned Australia’s World Cup campaign around.

“There was a get-together post-game (after the South Africa loss). But once again, that was just to reinforce that we were on the right path. It was about, ‘Let’s stick to it and believe in what we’ve set out to achieve’, and that it will come to fruition eventually, albeit it didn’t in the first couple of games. It was doubling down.

I think we’ve had moments like that when we were 0-2 in India in the Test series as well and you bring the group together and it’s just reiterating what you set out in the first place. If you start to pivot at that point in time, I think that can create panic within a group. It also means that potentially your planning has been well off and at 0-2 in a nine-match World Cup … it’s not the time to start throwing the baby out with the bath water,” McDonald said on SEN Whateley.

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“It was just a time to say, ‘Ok, let’s get moving’,” he added.

Australia registered their first win in the league stage against Sri Lanka, who from 125/0 in 22 overs, crumbled to 209 runs. Australia won the match by 5 wickets with 15 overs to spare. Australian skipper Pat Cummins was again the central protagonist.

In his second spell, Cummins bowled with aggression and hostility; he was nasty and mean, bowling with the anger of a rebel.

McDonald praised Cummins for bowling back-to-back bouncers against which removed Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Perera.

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“We came up against Sri Lanka and I thought the bravery was in the moment where Pat Cummins bowed back-to-back bouncers. The second bouncer saw the downfall of Nissanka with a great running catch from Davey Warner. I think they were 0/125 at that point in time. No doubt people sitting back here probably thought that was the end of our World Cup.

We were able to turn it. Patty’s bravery, some fielding execution, an easy run chase, and away we went from there. We didn’t really look back. There were times when we got stressed as well after that. But it was an incredible run, an incredible streak. We got going at the right time,” he added.  

McDonald is in Australia prepping for the upcoming three-Test series against Pakistan in December.