Colombo, February 10 Australian captain Mitchell Marsh is confident that his team's relatively inexperienced bowling attack will rise to the challenge during the T20 World Cup in the absence of frontline pacers Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Josh Hazlewood.
This will be the first major ICC tournament since 2016 where Australia will not have any members of their famous pace trio.
While Starc retired from the format last year, Cummins and Hazlewood have been ruled out of the tournament due to injuries.
In their absence, Nathan Ellis, Ben Dwarshius, and Xavier Bartlett will lead the pace attack.
"Players like Patty (Cummins) have played a lot for us in recent years due to his demanding schedule, and players like Benny Dwarshuis and Xavier Bartlett have played almost all of our games over the last 12 months," Marsh said on the eve of their opening game against Ireland.
"We are confident that they have been able to contribute, and they have excelled in some games. So we are confident with the group that we have. And we have built that over the last 12 months."
Australia enters the tournament after a historic 0-3 loss in the T20I series against Pakistan, which included their heaviest defeat in the format — a 111-run loss.
"The tour to Pakistan provided some valuable learning experiences. We had some young players who experienced those conditions for the first time in their careers.
"We take those lessons and move forward, and we welcome some experienced players back into the team for this part of the tournament. So, we have certainly learned from that, and we are looking forward to the World Cup," Marsh said.
Australian batters struggled against spin during the Pakistan tour, and Marsh admitted that the team needs to adapt quickly, especially with Sri Lankan conditions expected to favor slower bowlers.
"We are certainly aware of the conditions we will face, and I think most teams will have similar ideas on how to approach them. So, we are prepared for that and we are ready to go," he said.
"Look, I think we certainly want to be positive in our approach. I think in these conditions, it's just about being clear on how to approach the game and playing to your strengths," Marsh said ahead of Australia's T20 World Cup opener against Ireland.
"The word 'adaptability' has been discussed in our team meetings, and we need to adapt to whatever situation is presented to us and get the job done," he added.
Marsh confirmed that Tim David will miss Australia's tournament opener as he continues to recover from a hamstring injury.
"He will not be available tomorrow, but we are confident that he will be back in contention in the next few games," Marsh said.
