A sixth triumph looks realistic for Australia

Press Trust of India  |  New Delhi 

Synonymous with success, will enter the showpiece with realistic hopes of widening the gulf between them and the rest, having tenaciously rallied from the ball-saga that prompted radical changes in their cricketing culture.

The much-awaited return of and from their one-year bans has bolstered the team and boosted the morale of those, who will wear the yellow jersey in the

The squad has completed its preparatory camp in and headed to the the via a stopover in the

Located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, holds great significance in Australia's history as this was the place where 11,000 Australian and soldiers lost their lives in a disastrous Allied military offensive.

The most successful one-day side in history, have lifted the trophy a record five times, including three consecutive wins between 1999 and 2007.

Winning three on the trot is no doubt unprecedented but such has been Australia's dominance in the tournament that they emerged victorious even in the 1987 edition when they entered as rank outsiders after the exodus of some of their best players.

Hosting the tournament for only the second time four years ago along with New Zealand, were not overwhelming favourites to lift the trophy but they still became champions at the iconic Melbourne Ground.

It will not be surprising at all if the current team, captained by Aaron Finch, triumphs at the hallowed Lord's on July 14.

They certainly have the wherewithal to go all the way and record what could be an unprecedented sixth title.

Warner's year-long international exile has come to an end and with nearly 700 runs in the Indian Premier League, he has sounded a warning to rival bowlers bracing up for the mega event.

While he did not quite set the IPL on fire like Warner, Smith showed glimpses of his old touch in the three warm-up matches against recently.

After finding form in the latter part of the IPL, Smith played well for unbeaten innings of 89 and 91, enough for to say he had "slept better".

Stripped of their roles as respectively and banned for 12 months for their involvement in the ball-scandal during the Test series against in March last year, both Smith and Warner will be using the sport's biggest platform to make amends for their indiscretion in

It remains to be seen if Warner is given his usual opening slot or made to bat at number three. Only once in 104 ODI innings has Warner not gone in as opener.

Given the depth of talent and competition for spots there were a number of tough calls the selectors had to make to settle on the 15-man squad.

The squad does not include in-form batsman and fast bowler Josh Hazlewood, while the likes of D'Arcy Short, Kane Richardson, and also missed out, clearly showing the depth in the setup.

A depth that augurs well for them in

Squad: (capt), Jason Behrendorff, Alex Carey, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Pat Cummins, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Jhye Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner,

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First Published: Sun, May 19 2019. 12:05 IST