'The 6ixty' balls behind Australia's incredible ODI run

Ten10, T10, The 6ixty – it's the newest (very short) format growing in popularity on the franchise circuit, but is it also Australia's formula to success in the 50-over format?

Not that their experience playing T10 cricket would help – none of the current squad have actually played it.

Rather it's their ability to beat their opponents in the first 60 balls of each innings that's contributed to their incredible run of results in one-day cricket.

Australia are on a 14-game winning streak in one-day internationals, the second longest in the men's game after Ricky Ponting's team won 21 straight in 2003.

Only thrice have the reigning world champions been outscored in the Powerplay by their opponents in those 14 games.

And only India (+458) have a healthier differential between their runs scored in the first 10 overs compared to runs conceded than Australia's +350 since the start of the last year's men's ODI World Cup.

It's a simple philosophy: Win the first 10 overs, win the game.

While Australia's strike rate of 113 is the highest of all teams in the first 10 overs in the same period, winning the Powerplay is a lot more nuanced than just smashing the most runs, as England have discovered with their at times one-dimensional "aggressive" approach over the past two matches.

At Headingley on Saturday, they became the third team to outscore Australia in the Powerplay across their 14 straight victories when they reached 65 at the 10-over mark, six runs ahead of the visitors' 1-59 at the same stage.

But in doing so, it cost them five wickets. Game over.

Australia should have suffered a similar fate in Mumbai last year when they slipped to 4-52 after 10 overs chasing Afghanistan's 5-291. Only Glenn Maxwell's miracle double-century saved them from certain defeat, locking away their World Cup semi-finals spot in the process.

The 2023 World Cup winners are one of just two men's teams without a negative differential in either runs scored and conceded in the Powerplay, or wickets taken and lost, since the start of last year's global tournament. That period includes Australia's two losses prior to their 14-game winning streak.

The other is India, who for the record, beat Australia in the Powerplay 2-80 to 3-60 in the World Cup final but went on to lose the match.

Bangladesh (0-62) was the third team to outscore Australia (1-58) across their past 14 one-day matches, although Australia only lost one more wicket during their chase as Mitch Marsh smashed an unbeaten 177 to see Australia home with 5.2 overs to spare chasing 307 in Pune.

Along with Travis Head and Marsh's irresistible form, Australia's biggest asset during their unbeaten run has been their ability to take wickets in the Powerplay.

In the 10 games leading up to their defeat of Sri Lanka – the first of their 14 wins and that turned their World Cup campaign around – Australia had only taken six wickets at 87 in the first 10 overs while losing 17 themselves. They lost seven of those 10 matches.

Since then, they've taken 24 wickets at 27 in the Powerplay while conceding 4.64 runs per over – on average 0.6 runs fewer than the (5.22) in the 10 games prior.

The effect is twofold. The first is that wickets stall the batting team's momentum and slow the scoring rate.

The second is more subtle, but equally as important. Powerplay wickets allow Australia to hold back Adam Zampa until later in the innings, who current stand-in skipper Marsh has said is their "most important player".

Zampa is a wicket-taker; no one has taken more in men's ODIs than the Australian leg-spinner (108) since the start of 2020.

Holding back Zampa for as long as possible allows Australia better control of the scoring rate in the middle (10-40) and death (40-50) overs as he's incredibly effective at breaking partnerships, thereby slowing the scoring rate.

Only once has Zampa gone wicketless across Australia's last 14 consecutive victories – the semi-final against South Africa in Kolkata where Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood kept the Proteas to 2-18 in the Powerplay, which would soon become 4-24 before the leg-spinner was even called into the attack.

"There's no hiding behind the fact that he's certainly one of our go-to men win the ball over a 50-over period," Marsh said last week ahead of the five-match series opener against England, which was Zampa's 100th ODI.

"That's been one of the challenges that he's taken in his stride over the last few years, is being that person for us.

"He certainly thrives off the bigger moments, which is what all great players do."

All this of course is irrelevant if you can't sustain it outside the first 10 overs.

India couldn't in the World Cup final, losing 6-62 and failing to break Head and Marnus Labuschagne's match-winning 192-run partnership until it was too late.

England, who have openly declared a white-ball reset ahead of Brendon McCullum taking over the side in January, haven't either despite getting into winning positions in each of the past two matches.

In the series opener at Trent Bridge, they lost their final eight wickets for 102 runs to fall to 315 all out, which Australia chased three wickets down with six overs to spare.

At Headingley two days later, they let Australia off the hook after having them 6-161 and 9-221 before Alex Carey hit 74 of 67 balls to take the visitors to a defendable 270.

"We'll continue being positive and trying to take the game to oppositions … that's how we're going to invest to play," stand-in England coach Marcus Trescothick said following their 68-run defeat at Headingley.

"We've seen it in various times with England, that's our best approach.

"We just need to do it for longer periods and more sustained amount of partnerships in comparison what we've done so far."

And there lies the key to Australia's success.

When one of Head, Marsh or the now retired David Warner have got going inside the Powerplay over the past 12 months, they've kicked on to a big score.

Since the start of last year's World Cup that trio have combined for seven ODI centuries, the equal most for a top three alongside South Africa's Quinton de Kock, Rassie van der Dussen and Tony de Zorzi.

England have managed just one century from a top three batter in that period – their own retired opener, Dawid Malan.

"The whole point of what we're trying to do with this series (against Australia) is we want to get some fresh guys in," Trescothick said.

"We want to give them experience and exposure to a good side and international cricket.

"The two teams are in a different position, of course they are, but nonetheless, we're still trying to win every game."

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Australia T20 squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood (England games only), Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Riley Meredith, Matt Short (England games only), Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa

September 4: Australia beat Scotland by seven wickets

September 6: Australia beat Scotland by 70 runs

September 7: Australia beat Scotland by six wickets

September 11: Australia beat England by 28 runs

September 13: England beat Australia by three wickets

September 15: Match abandoned

Australia ODI squad: Mitch Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Cooper Connolly, Ben Dwarshuis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Short, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa. Reserve: Mahli Beardman

September 19: Australia beat England by seven wickets

September 21: Australia beat England by 68 runs

September 24: Third ODI v England, Riverside, Chester-le-Street, 9.30pm AEST

September 27: Fourth ODI v England, Lord's, London, 9.30pm AEST

September 29: Fifth ODI v England, County Ground, Bristol, 8pm AEST