For the last decade, Australia have been the powerhouse of cricket. They attained an aura of invincibility around them, so much so that teams were as good as beaten by the World Champions before they even started.

A good example was India’s defeat at their hands in the 2003 World Cup. The Indian team started their campaign with a defeat by Australia, mostly because they just didn’t believe they could win. Then they got on a roll and won nine matches in a row before locking heads with the Aussies again in the final. The first over of a World Cup final and Zaheer Khan memorably tried too hard and the Aussies gained such a big mental edge that the Indians never looked in the scheme of things.

Ricky Ponting is an expert at bludgeoning away opposition low on confidence. He led a pack of hungry hunters ready to pounce on the other weaklings. The crux of the team was formed by the likes of Ponting along with Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden, Damien Martyn, Michael Bevan (who was ably replaced by Michael Hussey when the need came) and Andrew Symonds.

The bowling department was lethal with Brett Lee boasting the best strike rate in ODIs and the Pigeon, Glenn McGrath, relying on his accuracy. The support bowlers were quite extraordinary and Jason Gillespie was always there to bank on. And bear in mind I haven't mentioned Shane Warne yet!

But it was inevitable that this group would be dismantled and the Aussies might be found wanting. The retirement of Martyn and Warne, and injuries to Symonds and Lee coincided with a break for Ponting and Gilchrist and the break-up was under way. The Aussies struggled and were dismantled in their lead-up tournaments.

The Kangaroos always boasted of having backup plans and fringe players able to replace the regulars with ease and equivalent domination. But, to their dismay, Cameron White was not good enough as a replacement to Symonds, Shaun Tait had the pace, but lacked the grit of Lee and Mitchell Johnson and Nathan Bracken did not have the experience on their hands. Warne was out and missed. And they suffered a humiliating ODI whitewash at the hands of New Zealand.

With the injured Lee being replaced by Stuart Clark, Australia found an unexpected hero in Clark, who was the pick of the bowlers in the Ashes series against England. They might have landed on an exceedingly viable option. So let's do a SWOT analysis here:

Strengths: Australia have it in every department of the game, but they depend on their super batting line-up and thrifty bowling. They are also one of the best fielding units. They have to hit top gear in all three departments to get back to winning ways.

Weaknesses:Well, the only weakness is an inexperienced bowling line-up. They do not have bowlers who can soak up the pressure in the powerplays or the slog overs. Neither Tait, Mitchell Johnson or Clark (in the Commonwealth Bank Series) showed the composure expected when the batsmen go haywire. McGrath holds a key role here to pick up wickets early on with some help from Bracken to try and put the opposition on the back foot.

Opportunities:With injuries surrounding them (they are still unsure about Hayden, Symonds and Michael Clarke) they can say they have lesser opportunities than the rest. But, here’s how you look at the glass half full rather than half empty – this is a perfect opportunity for the newer, younger players to stake a claim in the side. The likes of Brad Hodge and Shane Watson have a significant role to play if Australia are to win the World Cup a third time running.

Threats: Confidence and nerves. These are the biggest threats to the defending champions. If they can conquer their nerves and put aside the depressing losses in the past, they can come up trumps. The key is to just think a month further back and feel the ease with which they trampled the English in the Ashes.

My Prediction:  The Aussies should definitely reach the semi-finals and here it would depend on who they play. Thereafter, I would not dare to back against them, but I do have my doubts. I have a feeling that they will not make the final.

Can the Aussies rise again and win their third World Cup trophy on the trot? Let us have your views at Sportingo.