Less is more for settled Aussies in four-year Cup cycle

Australia's stability over the past four years will be a major factor in their chances at this World Cup, wicketkeeper Alex Carey believes.

Carey – who has played the most one-day internationals for Australia since the last 50-over World Cup (42) – says while they had a lot of experienced players in 2019, they didn't have as much experience playing together.

This time however, the five-time champions will enter their 2023 tournament opener against hosts India in Chennai on Sunday with a much more settled line up.

Since the 2019 showpiece in England – where Australia lost to the hosts in the semi-finals – Australia have used 38 players in 44 ODIs during the four-year cycle between World Cups.

Sixteen of those players have featured in more than 10 matches, with 14 of those selected in Australia's final 15-player squad. Josh Inglis (eight matches) is the only player in the squad who has played less than 10 ODIs in the past four years but he has been a regular part of the touring party since 2021.

During the four years leading up to this year's World Cup, the 15 selected to represent Australia filled 78.7 per cent of the spots available in the XI across those 44 matches.

It's a bit of a contrast to the four years prior to the 2019 tournament when Australia used 45 players in 76 ODIs, with 24 featuring in more than 10 matches. And the 18 players part of the nation's World Cup squad in 2019 only filled two-thirds (66.5 per cent) of the spots available in the XI across those 76 matches.

"As a group, we had a lot of changes throughout that four-year cycle," Carey told the Unplayable Podcast in the lead up to Australia's World Cup opener on Sunday.

"I feel like from then to now we've had more of a stable group.

"A lot of players have played but I feel like it's been quite a stable group of players so we're coming into this one with a really clear game style.

"We've got players that have played over 100 games (four), we've got a lot of players who have played over 50 games now (six).

"I feel the experience among this group and with guys playing a lot of cricket in India with the IPL (is that) we're well poised to shake up the tournament and our goal as a group is to make it and win the final."

Perhaps emblematic of Australia's stability since the last World Cup has been the rise of Adam Zampa to one of the game's best limited-overs bowlers.

Zampa – who only played four matches at the 2019 event with Nathan Lyon also playing four – is the bowler with the most ODI wickets (77) in the past four years from the teams that qualified for this year's tournament.

"The consistency he's shown over the last couple of years and just getting a really good run at it ... is great for the group," Carey said.

"He's super confident in his ability, he takes control of his fields, he's obviously in country that will offer a little bit more spin as well so he'll play a huge role and I'm excited to see how he goes this World Cup."

Carey's form at the last World Cup (375 runs at 62.50) – where he had the second-highest average for an Australian behind David Warner – came at a crucial point in his career, establishing himself as the nation's first choice gloveman in one-dayers and the eventual successor to former Test captain Tim Paine.

And his role batting at No.5 this tournament will be pivotal in ensuring Australia give their hitters in Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis and Cameron Green the best chance at the death after the side's recent middle-over struggles against South Africa and India.

"To have some success (at the last World Cup), it's one of those things where you try to draw upon experiences like that when you need to," he said.

"When I come in (the plan is) to rotate the strike and take it deep enough to send Stoinis, Maxwell and Green out not having to think too much about the scoreboard and just worry about trying to clear the pickets.

"So hopefully I can do that a few times. It's a role I love to play is to try to be busy, run hard between the wickets, find the boundary and get those big hitters on strike."

Australia's 2023 ODI World Cup fixtures

Warm-up match: No result v Netherlands

Warm-up match: Defeated Pakistan by 14 runs

October 8: v India, Chennai (D/N), 7.30pm AEDT

October 12: v South Africa, Lucknow (D/N), 7.30pm AEDT

October 16: v Sri Lanka, Lucknow (D/N), 7.30pm AEDT

October 20: v Pakistan, Bengaluru (D/N), 7.30pm AEDT

October 25: v Netherlands, Delhi (D/N), 7.30pm AEDT

October 28: v New Zealand, Dharamsala, 4pm AEDT

November 4: v England, Ahmedabad (D/N), 7.30pm AEDT

November 7: v Afghanistan, Mumbai (D/N), 7.30pm AEDT

November 11: v Bangladesh, Pune, 4pm AEDT

November 15: First semi-final, Mumbai (D/N), 7.30pm AEDT

November 16: Second semi-final, Kolkata (D/N), 7.30pm AEDT

November 19: Final, Ahmedabad (D/N), 7.30pm AEDT

Australia squad: Pat Cummins (c), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa