14th November 2021: A day that will be etched in the memory of every cricket fan as Australia carved their name in the record books by clinching their maiden title in the shortest format of the game with their dominant performance at the mega event.
A month later, they ensured the Urn stays on Australian soil after they dismantled England 4-0 in the Ashes series.
It seldom happens in the game of cricket that a coach with a world title and Ashes win on home soil resigns from the position months before having an opportunity to defend the T20 World Cup at home.
However, such has been the untenable relationship of Langer and a few of the Australian players that the resignation of the Head Coach of the Australian team was always on the cards.
"We need a new style of coaching and skill set, read Pat Cummins' statement after the Justin Langer saga unfolded after months of speculation revolving around the future of the former Australian batter.
And, as they set foot at the Sydney Cricket Ground for the first of the five T20 internationals against Sri Lanka on Friday, 11th February, Australia will enter a new era with Andrew McDonald at the helm.
While the former Australian player is only the interim coach for the series, going by the reports and the views of Australian captains across formats, he has emerged as the frontrunner to replace Langer.
The bilateral series against Sri Lanka will test the formidable Aussie unit and the new-look support staff to the hilt as they have rested some of the key players from the World Cup-winning squad.
With David Warner and Mitchell Marsh set to miss the series and Travis Head not part of the first three encounters, Australia have plenty to ponder in regards to their batting line-up.
While Aaron Finch confirmed a debut for Josh Inglis and stated he would bat at number three and Ben McDermott will open the batting along with the skipper himself, the top-order of the Australian side will have a one-dimensional look with six right-handed batters.
McDermott was the leading run-scorer for the Hobart Hurricanes in the recently concluded Big Bash League, with 577 runs in 13 innings at an average of 48.08 and a strike rate of 153.86. The right-handed batter also created history by smashing back-to-back hundreds, making him the first batter to achieve this feat.
One of the stars for Australia in their successful World Cup campaign, Mathew Wade, is set to don the gloves and bat at number seven from the side.
In conversation with the official website of Cricket Australia, Finch shared insights on the plans of the side by saying, "Wadey's the keeper; he did a fantastic job throughout the World Cup. We see that being his role, really nailing down that number seven role going forward."
However, with the absence of a left-handed batter, Australia will have their task cut out in this series against Wanindu Hasaranga and the mystery spin of Maheesh Theekshana.
In this form of the game since 2019, Australia have struggled against leg spinners and have lost a wicket every 14.3 deliveries, which is the worst for them against a bowling type. With lack of southpaws in the side to counter the leg spinner, the inability to attack the away-going deliveries could lead to the downfall of the Australian side in this series.
On the other hand, Sri Lanka are yet to crack the code to succeed in the extravaganza as the team has been struggling to keep pace with the ever-evolving form of the game. One of the glaring reasons for their dismal performance in this format has been the lack of exposure for the players in the franchise leagues around the world.
While the players across the globe have experience plying their trade in the Big Bash or the India Premier League, the same cannot be said about Sri Lanka. Hence, the team has struggled to get going in T20 internationals, which was evident in their performance in the recently concluded World Cup.
After scraping through the qualifiers, Sri Lanka managed to win only two of the five matches in the Super 12 stage and finished fourth in Group A. While the opening combination with the bat has been the Achilles heel of the side over the years, one of the areas of concern in the past couple of years has also been the lack of firepower at the death.
In T20Is since 2019, Sri Lanka have managed to score a boundary every 6.7 deliveries between overs 16 to 20, which is the worst by any team among the top ten nations. With lack of impetus in the back end of the innings, the team has often posted a below-par total on the board or failed to get over the line in the run chase.
Another glaring issue for the side has been the lack of fast bowlers emerging from domestic cricket. While all the attention and focus has been on the lukewarm batting performance of the team, the pace bowlers of the Lankan side have been lacklustre in last season.
In the 20 innings played thus far by Sri Lanka, the pacers have managed to scalp 51 wickets at balls per wicket ratio of 21.3, which is the second-worst among the top ten nations.
With the upcoming World Cup set to commence in Australia later this year, Sri Lanka will need their pacers to find some form and create inroads on wickets conducive for pace and bounce.
After contrasting ends to the World Cup journey, the two sides will be in action for the first time and will look for a fresh start heading into the upcoming T20 World Cup.
While there ain't any doubt that the teams are on the opposite ends of the spectrum, the upcoming five-match series will give them a chance to finalise their combinations for the iconic event.
Australia's playing XI: Ben McDermott, Aaron Finch (captain), Josh Inglis, Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood.
Sri Lanka's squad: Dasun Shanaka (c), Charith Asalanka, Avishka Fernando, Pathum Nissanka, Danushka Gunathilaka, Kusal Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal, Chamika Karunaratne, Janith Liyanage, Kamil Mishara, Ramesh Mendis, Wanindu Hasaranga, Lahiru Kumara, Nuwan Thushara, Dushmantha Chameera, Binura Fernando, Maheesh Theekshana, Jeffrey Vandersay, Praveen Jayawickrama, Shiran Fernando.