Australia head coach Andrew McDonald reveals how Aussies turned their World Cup campaign around

Australia’s World Cup campaign was not without skepticism - the side had lost their first two matches and looked like a unit struggling to come up with answers. However, like any Australian side, they bounced back, primarily because of their remarkable mental resilience, by winning nine consecutive games and ultimately clinching their record sixth World Cup title with a convincing six-wicket victory over India in the final at Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium in Ahmedabad. The turning point, as per Australia coach Andrew McDonald, was the team’s response after the 134-run defeat against South Africa. McDonald shared insights on SEN Whateley, stating, “There was a post-game get-together after the South Africa loss. That was really just to reinforce that we were on the right path.” McDonald said that the meeting was all about reiterating the fact that the side needed to stick to their plans and believe in the process that would yield results. “It was really doubling down. I think we’ve had moments like that when we were 0-2 in India in the Test series as well and you bring the group together and it’s really just reiterating what you set out in the first place,” he further added. Australia was on the ropes in their third game against Sri Lanka as they were clutching at straws with Sri Lanka at 125 for no loss. However, the turnaround started when Sri Lanka collapsed to 209 in the 44th over. Australia had few hiccups in their chase, being 2 for 24 and 3 for 81. However, they managed to wrap up the chase with 15 overs to spare and five wickets in hand. McDonald praised captain Pat Cummins for playing a pivotal role and for being aggressive and hostile right through The head coach was all praise for the captain for his impactful deliveries, especially the bouncers that dismissed Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Perera - two dismissals that changed Australia’s campaign. “We came up against Sri Lanka and I thought the bravery was in the moment where Pat Cummins bowled back-to-back bouncers. The second bouncer saw the downfall of Nissanka with a great running catch from Davey Warner,” McDonald said.