- By Manik Sharma
- Sun, 15 Oct 2023 05:50 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
After playing the first two matches in the ODI World Cup 2023, the five-times champions find themselves in trouble as they are yet to secure a win. Australian skipper Pat Cummins acknowledged the urgency of the situation ahead of their clash against the Sri Lankan team on October 16 at Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow.
After suffering defeats in their initial matches against India and South Africa, Australia finds themselves in a critical position where they need to win at least six of their remaining seven games to remain in contention for the semi-finals.
Cummins backed his team saying Australia were in the same spot in the 2019 World Cup when they lost their group stage games against the same opponents as this year, but they fought back strongly.
"India and South Africa were the two teams that we lost to in the round games there (2019 World Cup). In the last year, they're kind of the two teams that we've had the most trouble against," Cummins pointed out.
"Not an ideal start at all. Everyone's desperate to turn it around. We're obviously 0-2, so we've got to start winning and start winning quick. Every game now becomes almost like a final. You've got to win just about all of them," he added.
However, Cummins sees an opportunity in facing teams they have not played for a while, teams they've had a strong track record against.
"So, the opportunity now is we've got some teams we haven't played for a while that we've had a lot of success against and be really confident when we go out there," Cummins said.
While Australia has a rich history in ODI World Cups, their current campaign has been far from ideal. Cummins emphasised the need to turn things around.
"Not an ideal start at all. Everyone's desperate to turn it around. Every game now becomes almost like a final. You've got to win just about all of them," he added.
Cummins noted that Australia has not met their own high standards and has been outplayed in their previous matches. He expressed confidence in the team's ability to perform at their best, given their recent success.
"Again, it wasn't that long ago. We're number one in the world. So, we don't have to look back too far to work out when we're playing our best," he mentioned.
Currently, Australia is placed at ninth position in the points table and Sri Lanka is at the seventh spot. Both teams will be vying for their first win in the ongoing World Cup.