“This Is Not the Australia We Once Feared” – Inside Their T20 World Cup Struggles

Australia has won the ODI World Cup 8 times, the ICC Champions Trophy 2 times, Test Championship 2 times and the T20 World Cup once. In Test cricket, they dominated for more than a decade after the official rankings began in 2003, including a powerful 95-month reign from 2001 to 2009. They regained the No.1 position multiple times in later years like 2014, 2016, and 2022–2025. Australia have also been strong in ODI and T20I formats over the years.

But this is not the same Australia anymore.

Australia’s journey in this T20 World Cup has been very disappointing. Out of the three matches they have played so far, they have won only one against Ireland by 67 runs. First, Zimbabwe defeated them by 23 runs. Then Sri Lanka handed them a heavy 8-wicket defeat. These losses have raised many questions about Australian cricket.

Why is Australia struggling?

One major reason is injuries to key players. Star fast bowler Josh Hazlewood was injured just before the tournament. Pat Cummins has been dealing with injuries since the ODI World Cup 2023. Other star players like Mitchell Starc retired from T20 cricket after the T20 World Cup 2024 and are now focusing only on Tests and ODIs.

Another reason could be lack of experience. Many players currently in the squad do not have much international T20 experience. Bowlers like Xavier Bartlett, Matthew Kuhnemann, and Ben Dwarshuis have played fewer than 20 international matches. At the same time, experienced T20 players like Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, and Josh Inglis are struggling with poor form.

The third reason may be sudden changes in captaincy. Mitchell Marsh is the official T20 captain of Australia, but he missed the last two matches due to injury. Travis Head had to lead the side in his absence. Under his captaincy, Australia lost to Zimbabwe, and the team could not perform well.

The fourth reason could be Sri Lankan conditions. Australia has played all its matches in Sri Lanka, but others are playing India on flat wickets. The conditions there are very different. The grounds are bigger compared to Indian stadiums, especially the boundary size. The pitches are spin-friendly, and Australia is playing with only one full-time spinner, Adam Zampa. Other players like Maxwell, Cooper Connolly, and Travis Head can bowl spin, but they are not specialist spinners like Zampa.

Does Australia not take T20 cricket seriously?

As discussed earlier, Australia still dominates Test and ODI cricket. However, it appears that Cricket Australia does not treat T20 cricket as a top priority. Their main focus has always been Test cricket first, followed by 50-over cricket. In the rankings, they are currently No. 1 in Tests and ranked third in ODIs. That may be one reason why some of their top players, like Mitchell Starc and Marnus Labuschagne, stay away from T20 cricket.

What is happening on social media?

Cricket fans have their own opinions. After losses to Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka, Australia started trending continuously on X. One particular image of Mitchell Marsh has gone viral again.

This is the same image from when Australia defeated India in India to win their 8th ODI World Cup title. After that victory, Marsh was seen posing with both his feet resting on the World Cup trophy. That picture received heavy criticism worldwide, especially from Indian fans.

Is this just a phase or a major shift in world cricket? 🤯🔥#AustraliaCricket #ICCTournaments #CricketStats #WorldCricket #t20worldcup2024🏏🏏🏏🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳❤️❤️🎉 pic.twitter.com/3iqTfFGbTE

— Chennai (@memeschennai) February 17, 2026

Some fans are now saying that ever since that incident, Australia have not performed well in any ICC tournament. Whether this is just emotion or a coincidence, social media continues to talk about it.

Can Australia still qualify for the Super 8?

Australia’s path to the Super 8 is becoming more difficult each day. They are currently third in Group B with 2 points, although their net run rate is still positive, which gives them slight hope.

Zimbabwe are second in the group with 4 points, having won both of their matches so far. Their remaining matches are against Ireland and Sri Lanka.

For Australia to Qualify into Super 8:

✅ IRE need to beat ZIM
✅ SL need to beat ZIM
✅ AUS need to beat OMA

📷 JioHotstar | #T20WorldCup #slvsaus pic.twitter.com/mOazJSLPNI

— CricketGully (@thecricketgully) February 16, 2026

Australia have only one match left, against Oman. If Australia defeats Oman and Zimbabwe loses both its remaining matches, Australia can qualify. However, if Zimbabwe wins even one of those two games, Australia will be eliminated in the league stage.

If that happens, it will be recorded in history as the second time Australia has been knocked out in the group stage of an ICC tournament. The last time they were eliminated in the group stage of a T20 World Cup was back in 2009.

There was a time when Australia ruled world cricket. They were known for their dominance in every format of the game. Even today, in ODI and Test cricket, Australia remains a strong force. But whenever this team enters the 20-over format, especially in the T20 World Cup, they start performing like an associate nation.

No one knows whether Australia will qualify for the Super 8 in this edition of the T20 World Cup. But one thing is clear: Australia is struggling in T20 cricket.

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