Cricket World Cup team guide: Australia in the spotlight

Like several of their competitors, Australia head into the World Cup with bundles of talent but plenty of questions to answer.

The Aussies were beaten 3-2 by South Africa in an ODI series earlier this month, including being walloped for 338, 416 and 315 in consecutive matches.

But the Baggy Greens are rarely uncompetitive in World Cups — winning four of the last six and five in total, more than any other side.

A team with huge potential, Australia will back themselves to find a groove and be involved in the final stages of this prolonged competition.

Squad

Australia's 15-player World Cup squad: Pat Cummins, Steve Smith, Alex Carey, Josh Inglis, Sean Abbott, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Mitch Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa, Mitchell Starc.

Fixtures

October 8, 9.30am: India (Chennai)

October 12, 9.30am: South Africa (Lucknow)

October 16, 9.30am: Sri Lanka (Lucknow)

October 20, 9.30am: Pakistan (Bangalore)

October 25, 9.30am: Netherlands (Delhi)

October 28, 6am: New Zealand (Dharamsala)

November 4, 8.30am: England (Ahmedabad)

November 7, 8.30am: Afghanistan (Mumbai)

November 11, 5am: Bangladesh (Pune)

The skipper

It has been an intense year for Pat Cummins, who flew home from a tour of India to mourn his mother in March before captaining Australia to success in the World Test Championship and Ashes. 

The World Cup is the final major event to confront and his class with the ball in hand ensures he is a guarantee to lead by example with his performances. 

Cummins, 30, is bound to benefit from rest enforced by the broken wrist he suffered in the fifth Test against England and he should now be fresh enough to lead the side into the three-match series against India that precedes the tournament. 

He has only taken charge of two ODIs since being installed as permanent skipper last year — winning both against England — but the relatively defensive style he implemented during the Ashes may need tweaking for this format. 

Even so, any side with Cummins in is better for it.

One to watch

A player whose career has been stalled by injuries, Mitch Marsh demonstrated again what an underrated cricketer he is during the summer Ashes series.

No Australian looked more fluent than Marsh, who scored a glorious century in the third Test before continuing to look dangerous throughout the remainder of the contest.

His ODI record — 2,131 runs at an average of 33.82 — is respectable, too, while the only three one-dayers he has ever played in India came earlier this year when he hit 81, 66* and 47.

The 31-year-old struck 77* from No3 in the final of the 2021 T20 World Cup and runs from the top of the order will be necessary again with Travis Head's injury likely to mean he opens the batting.