CHENNAI: Australia’s assistant coach Sridharan Sriram is thrilled to be part of the team’s think-tank that won the T20 World Cup in the UAE. He insisted that planning, teamwork and clarity of roles to each and every player helped them become champions. “Absolutely delighted. It is a very special moment to be part of a World Cup-winning squad. Although we played our (support staff) part, credit goes to the players for such a fabulous performance. I believe teamwork and each and every player taking up responsibility in turns helped us. When the chips were down, we had someone to step up, that set us apart,’’ said an elated Sriram.
Australia were rank outsiders going into the marquee event. Sriram said the loss against England was like a wake-up call and revealed that the manner of the win against Bangladesh was a big boost. “The team always believed that they stood a chance.
The plan was to take one game at a time. We initially wanted to first qualify for the knock-outs. At the same time, we knew that we were in a very tough group where we had to compete with South Africa, England, West Indies and Sri Lanka... Bangladesh can be good on a given day. The loss against England sort of opened our eyes to the approach that we should have while chasing small targets. So I think the way we chased down against Bangladesh in six overs gave a big boost to our run-rate,’’ recollected the former India middle-order batsman.
He singled out Zampa’s role in the victory. “There were a lot of expectations from him when he came to this World Cup. He was a leading spinner in the team and he was expected to deliver. I think we made a few technical changes and had plans for every opposition. We worked on the areas, angles and the lines to bowl to a particular batter in a given situation. The preparation was good and it worked,’’ revealed the former Tamil Nadu stalwart.
Another chief architect of Australia’s win was David Warner. He was a different player during the World Cup from what one saw in the IPL. Despite IPL woes, Sriram said that the Australian think-tank expected Warner to deliver.
Riding on Kane Williamson’s classy 85, New Zealand had posted a challenging total in the summit match. Australia were in a spot of bother when they lost Aaron Finch in the third over. But Mitchell Marsh played like a man possessed, scoring a 50-ball 77, to help the team over the line. “I think the coach’s decision to promote him (Marsh) at No 3 did the trick. Marsh is a good player of fast bowling and a player who can exploit the powerplay to the team’s advantage. This ability made the coach promote him (Marsh) and it worked,’’ said Sriram.
The success was a timely one as Australia will soon be taking on arch-rivals England in the Ashes. However, on Friday, they faced a massive setback as Tim Paine gave up captaincy after being caught in a ‘graphic text exchange’ scandal. Despite the blow, Sriram said the momentum will be with the home side. “I think it’s very unfortunate (Paine resignation as captain) so I think we have to deal with it... we have got to make some decisions. Ben Stokes’ availability for the Ashes is good news. He is a three-dimensional player who can change the course of the game.
The Ashes will be interesting as usual. England did not do well against India in the Tests at home. Having won the World Cup, the Australian team will carry the momentum into the Ashes,” the 45-year-old said.