The T20 machine continues to churn away as we approach the start of the T20 World Cup just days after the conclusion of the Indian Premier League. Despite the T20 burnout from a fan’s perspective, it’s arguably the best time to host the tournament as many of the world’s best players are well attuned to the rhythms of the shortest format of the game.

Of Australia’s 15-man squad, 11 played during the 2024 edition of the IPL and it’s worth looking at their performances to examine the squad’s strengths and weaknesses from a statistical perspective, and whether this can translate to the spin-friendly wickets in the Caribbean.

The first cab off the rank is Travis Head, who was electric during the IPL, scoring 567 runs at an average of 40.50 whilst striking at 191.55 runs per 100 balls. Despite flaming out during the latter stages of the competition with scores of 0, 0, 34 and 0, the 30-year-old opener finished with an average and strike rate that was respectively, 45 per cent and 27 per cent higher than league average.

The South Australian was particularly dynamic in the power play, scoring 401 runs at 66.83 with an incredible strike rate of 208.85. Again, these numbers were exceptional compared to the rest of the competition with Head’s power play strike rate sitting 40 per cent higher than league average.

Based on his performances during the IPL, Head is going to be an influential member of this Australian side’s quest for a second T20 World Cup title. With spin expected to play a major role in the West Indies, it was encouraging to see Head’s strike rate against such bowling sit as high as 164.52, 18 per cent higher than league average.

The opener excelled against all varieties of bowling and will look to put Australia on the front foot during the power play as he did to perfection for Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Head is expected to take on the more aggressive role in his opening partnership with David Warner, which has been the talk of the town since the announcement of the squad, with many fans suggesting that Jake Fraser-McGurk should partner the South Australian after a ‘highlight reel’ campaign for Delhi.

However, despite Warner’s lack of form during the IPL (possessing a below league average batting average and strike rate), he may prove to be a crucial cog in Australia’s system as a potential anchor to the innings.

It’s a role that is different of what has been asked of Warner in the past, yet the 37-year-old has years of T20 experience to draw from and will be familiar with almost any situation the game presents him. Most importantly, having a player with that know-how present throughout the innings allows Australia to employ an aggressive batting line-up with big hitter after big hitter.

The ‘big hitters’ that follow the openers will be five of Mitchell Marsh, Tim David, Cameron Green, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, and Josh Inglis, who are all capable of bombing sixes to all parts of the ground.

The issue for this group of players during the IPL came throughout the middle overs (7-16). Of this batting group, only Head and Stoinis boasted above league average strike rates, whilst the others generally struggled. In particular, the IPL form of Maxwell was concerning, but does form really matter for the Victorian?

We know Maxwell is one of the most destructive batters in the white-ball format, as evidenced by his match-winning double-hundred against Afghanistan at the ODI World Cup last year. The Victorian has the capability to pull out an incredible innings from his backside irrespective of form, especially in the middle and/or death overs of a game.

Put Maxwell aside, the rest of the middle order may struggle after the powerplay as they did in the IPL, and these issues may compound with the increased frequency of spin bowling. Head was the only Australian who boasted an above league average strike rate against spin in the IPL, and here is Australia’s biggest weakness with the bat.

It reiterates the importance of Warner being able to play through the innings as a player who has a past of playing exceptionally against spin bowling in the shortest format. His ability to rotate the strike may be crucial as Australia can’t afford to get bogged down throughout this period of the game. Sure, you can slow the run rate down and save wickets till the death, however, it’s important to keep the momentum rolling into the final overs of the innings.

When it comes to the death overs, the Aussies showed some positive signs. All of David, Green, Maxwell and Stoinis (the only players of this batting group to bat at the death in the IPL) boasted strike rates above league average, which bodes well for the latter part of Australia’s innings in the West Indies.

The only concern is that David’s success at the death generally comes against pace bowling.

The 28-year-old’s strike rate at the death was 11 per cent higher than league average with only four of the 87 deliveries he faced in those overs coming from spin. So, there’s no direct examples to compare when it comes to death batting, but David’s struggles against spin are well known. A strike rate of 87.50 against spin in the IPL was 37 percent lower than league average.

Given the spin friendly wickets that are expected in the West Indies, opposition teams will no doubt look to prevent David’s destructive finishing ability by taking pace off the ball. However, what makes this option more difficult for opposing teams is if the likes of Maxwell or Stoinis are present at the death, both known for being able to hit a big ball regardless of the type of bowling.

Overall, Australia has definite strengths at the beginning and end of the innings. The period to watch out for – and the one that may determine Australia’s success as a batting group – will be how they handle those middle overs when spin will reign supreme.