If any of the countries lining up for cricket's World Cup in a couple of weeks' time have any thoughts of beating Australia, then now's the time to take action. Because right now Ricky Ponting’s men look extremely vulnerable.

Injuries and retirements have taken their toll, and after an Ashes series whitewash over England they have slithered into steady decline with a run of almost unbelievable defeats. First, New Zealand wrapped up a 3-0 Chappell-Hadlee series win almost without breaking sweat. And in the third and last game they chased down the second highest score ever made in an ODI.

So what does all this tell us about Australia's bench strength? The apparent sign is that they are struggling to plug the gaps in both batting and bowling. Perhaps they haven't got the back-up they were hoping for. I sense that there are just two or three batsmen who are looking good - Michael Hussey, Matthew Hayden (still a fitness doubt), Brad Hodge and of course Ponting. And in bowling, there is not much to offer beyond Glenn McGrath and Nathan Bracken. Stuart Clark was hammered by the Kiwis, Shane Watson also got hit and Brad Hogg got thumped big time. The rest of the guys looked quite ordinary.

A much stronger Australian side were beaten by England in the Tri-series finals. Ponting, Brett Lee, Michael Clarke and Adam Gilchrist were all there then. And still they lost - in straight games. Which proves that they are certainly beatable. Over the recent years, they had created a feeling of invincibility. Heck, that is out of the window now. And I am going to stick my neck out and say that they will not win the World Cup. I am not saying who will win, simply that Australia won't!

Which brings us to the question of the quality of the Australian team over the next couple of years. With Shane Warne, Justin Langer and Martyn already gone and McGrath to go after the World Cup, there are going to be few new faces there.

Clarke and Hussey look like great inheritors of the Australian spirit. Of course, Ponting will be around for a while. And Hodge holds a lot of promise. There are also Hayden, Gilchrist (don't know for how long, though) and Symonds, who should get fit soon. So the batting looks fine as long as all of these guys maintain decent form. But it's the bowling that looks pretty vulnerable.

I don't know what has happened to Stuart McGill. He should finally get his chance without Warne's shadow over him, and he can be a good prospect. Meanwhile, the eternal underdog down under, New Zealand, should be feeling fabulous, along with the Aussies’ traditional arch rivals, England - both of whom have thumped Ponting’s men in the build-up to the World Cup.

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