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Cricket World Cup: Why we need to watch out for Australia's three Mitchells

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Aditya Mani Jha
Aditya Mani JhaFeb 13, 2015 | 18:48

Cricket World Cup: Why we need to watch out for Australia's three Mitchells

At the time of writing this article, the 2015 World Cup is hours away from getting started. Co-hosts Australia are up against England in the first match. Now, anyone who follows one-day cricket knows that in coloured clothes, the England team is more punching bag than Mike Tyson. The Australians, on the other hand, have been in terrific form; Steven Smith has looked like getting a hundred every time he has batted for the last two months, Glenn Maxwell is finally pulling his weight and David Warner is becoming the world beater he had always threatened to be.

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The fulcrum of the Australian challenge, however, could very well be their three Mitchells: All-rounder Mitchell Marsh, swing-meister Mitchell Starc and the red-hot, re-moustachioed Mitchell Johnson, who has been hurling 150 kmph thunderbolts at bewildered batsmen for the better part of the season.

Australian fans have followed Mitchell Marsh's progress for so long now that it's sometimes easy to forget that he is all of 23 years old. Even before he made his ODI debut at the age of 19, Marsh had been talked up as Australia's next all-round hope. Four years down the line, he is finally hitting his stride, especially with the bat. In September, Marsh carted Dale Steyn for three consecutive sixes en route to a thrilling, match-winning 86* off just 51 balls (5x4, 7x6). In the same match, he picked up the wickets of Hashim Amla and J.P. Duminy to snuff out any hopes of a South African comeback. There is a lot to admire about Marsh. His batting is built around strong basics; a straight backlift, a decent defence, powerful forearms and exceptional judgment of length. Like the best power hitters, he knows that keeping out the good deliveries gives him more chance to receive the buffet balls.

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Marsh also continued his good run through the Tri-Series with India and England, bowling a niggardly spell of 7-0-18-0 after he scored a crucial 60 on a pitch with variable bounce. No wonder, then, that he will almost certainly edge out Shane Watson in the XI once James Faulkner is fit again; a year ago, this proposition would've been laughable.

25-year-old Mitchell Starc, like his namesake, has also had a bit of a start-stop career after being marked out as a prodigy since his 2010 debut. Standing nearly 2m tall, Starc uses his height well, often getting balls to spit nastily at the batsmen after pitching at a good length area. Even more impressive, however, is his ability to swing the new ball at 140 kmph with a great degree of control. The Indian and English batsmen found this out in the recently concluded Tri-Series, where he picked up 10 wickets in the first two matches. Against England, he dismissed Ian Bell and James Taylor in near-identical fashion with the first and third balls of the innings; both swinging deliveries that came in to the right-hander, trapping them plumb in front. Most batsmen find it difficult to get their footwork just right from ball one, and with Starc, this kind of dismissal could become standard service in the World Cup. His death bowling has also improved several notches.

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And then there is the mightiest Mitchell of them all: the fearsome Mitchell Johnson, the most improved - and dangerous - fast bowler on the planet. On his day, he makes international batting line-ups look like your local club's second XI. Seasoned veterans fear for their fingers and toes. Opposition captains sweat about their teams, their prospects, their careers. The psychological scars that he gave the Englishmen last summer drove them to distraction almost; the toll was palpable. Jonathan Trott is still some way from international cricket, Graeme Swann retired mid-series, Alistair Cook is wondering where his favourite bat went. India had the bright idea of sledging Johnson when he was batting; see how that worked out for them.

Johnson returned, after a brief hiatus, to the team for the Tri-Series final. Continuing his pattern of harassing opposition captains (Cook, Smith et al), he promptly clattered Eoin Morgan's stumps first ball, after getting rid of Moeen Ali and James Taylor earlier in the game. Morgan basically left a straight-ish delivery that had just a hint of movement, nothing extravagant; such is the brain-fade raw pace can induce. Both Michael Clarke and George Bailey have now committed to using Johnson in two-over bursts that are likely to be super-saturated with pace and venom. Quite simply, if you are a batsman and your name is not Virat Kohli, you should be afraid, very afraid indeed.

Australia's quarter-final exit in 2011 was a huge disappointment after three consecutive World Cup triumphs. If Michael Clarke wants to add a fifth Cup to the cabinet, he will hope that the three Mitchells are fit and firing on all cylinders, come Saturday.

Last updated: February 13, 2015 | 18:48
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