C r i c H o t L i n e |
- Pakistan confident of giving tough fight to England: Mohsin
- Clarke hopes Sachin doesn’t hit 100th ton against Australia
- Dhoni determined to turn India into tougher tourists
- ‘Indians will find adapting to conditions tough’: Warner
- We want a controversy-free series: Dhoni
- Australia squad for first test against India announced
| Pakistan confident of giving tough fight to England: Mohsin Posted: 24 Dec 2011 02:45 AM PST
However, interim coach Mohsin, who was retained after guiding his team to series victories over the sub-continent teams, said that England would pose a far bigger challenge for Pakistan. “England is the number one Test team in the world and their recent performances have been outstanding,” Mohsin said.
“We are expecting a very tough contest and the good thing is our players are already talking about the series and its significance to Pakistan cricket.” “It is true that Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are not as strong a challenge as England will be. But the good thing is that our team has developed a taste for success and every player is contributing in some way so we can win.” Pakistan will play three Tests, four one-dayers and three Twenty20 matches against England in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, starting next month. Mohsin, who was the chief selector until he was appointed coach last September, denied that the hosts will have any advantage from the low and slow pitches in the Gulf nation. “England is a thorough professional side and has been stable under the guidance of (coach) Andy Flower and (captain) Andrew Strauss so what will matter is how you play session by session,” Mohsin said. “Conditions will be same for both sides.” Mohsin, who played 48 Test matches for his country, denied that Pakistan will rely heavily on their spinners during the three-Test series. “We are fortunate to be blessed with both quality pacers and spinners so we are not going to rely on anyone in particular,” the 56-year old said. “Our recent mantra has been to focus and plan things on a match-to-match basis and we will continue with that against England as well.” The Pakistani selectors are due to name the Test squad for the series on Monday. Pakistan are playing “home” series in the Gulf region due to security concerns in their own country. © REUTERS  |
| Clarke hopes Sachin doesn’t hit 100th ton against Australia Posted: 24 Dec 2011 02:24 AM PST
“That’s (Tendulkar scoring his 100th international ton) certainly a prospect. I hope that doesn’t happen. I hope he scores it in his next series,” said Clarke ahead of their first Test. “He’s been an unbelievable player for such a long period of time. I really enjoy watching him bat. If he does score his 100th century, he deserves every bit of credit and applause. “I think it’s going to be a great crowd at this Test match, watching him and supporting him. I wish him well but in a perfect world, I’d like Sachin to score his 100th century in the next series India play,” he added.
Clarke has showed that he is all ready for the Indians by announcing his playing XI for the first Test 48 hours in advance. Opener Ed Cowan has been named in the final XI and is all to make his Test debut, while Ben Hilfenhaus’ experience was preferred over Mitchell Starc’s raw promise. The out-of-form duo of Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey have also been retained in the side. “I’m confident we’ve got the best eleven to help us win this first Test in these conditions. I can use Hussey, Ponting and myself to bowl a few overs. David Warner can bowl leg-spinners too. We’ve got the right XI to give ourselves a chance to win this Test,” insisted Clarke. The captain, meanwhile, warned his teammates that aggression on the field should be within a limit and not result in ugly behaviour or controversy. “I don’t think we need to (meet MS beforehand in order to ensure relations don’t break down during the series). I think both teams understand where we’re at. The relationship between the Aussie and Indian team couldn’t be stronger.” “We all understand there’s a fine line you can go to but can’t cross. I guarantee nobody in the Australian team will cross that. If they do, there’ll be punishments from the ICC but also from Cricket Australia,” clarified Clarke. The 30-year-old skipper expressed confidence if Australia could play consistently for five days they would win the first Test. “I think we are as well prepared as we can be. Now it’s about getting out there and playing some good cricket. I think if we can be consistent and execute our skills for the whole five days, we’ll win this Test match,” he said. Stating that he would want to bat first if he wins the toss, Clarke said, “My favourite thing to do when we win the toss, is always bat. But you can’t make that decision unless you see the conditions on the day of the toss. “I’ll wait and see what the wicket is like, see what the overhead conditions are like. I have no concerns if we bat first on that wicket. If there’s a bit of movement, I’m confident we’re ready for it. “It’s important we play our natural game if we bat first. I think you must have the confidence to back your own ability. We’ve done plenty of work, so (if the batsmen stumble) it’s not from lack of training,” he added. Clarke said he did not want his batsmen to be restrained if Australia bat first in tough conditions on the first day. “I think the start of any Test match is crucial, whether you bat or bowl…we’ve spoken about that for a while now that you need to start well. “I make no bones about it, we’ve had extra (preparation) time as a batting unit because we needed to get better facing the new ball. We’ve done the work though. That’s all I can ask from the boys. It’d make every single one of us very pleased and proud, if the ball is seaming around, we can play well — which we’ve done in periods,” he explained. “The moving ball, whether it’s spin or swing, is the hardest to face as a batsman, no matter who it’s against. English conditions probably allow that to happen more than Australian conditions, but in saying that whatever surface we get will be the same for both teams. “I think the key is consistency with everything we do, as a batting unit and a bowling unit, (and) execution of our skills. All you can do is prepare as well as you possibly can to give yourself the best chance and I think we’ve done that over the past six days now, whether it be as a batting unit or all together as a team,” said Clarke. Elaborating on why Hilfenhaus was preferred over Starc, Clarke said: “Hilf’s endurance is a factor in his promotion. I think it plays a part definitely. He’s a very good new ball bowler, he can bowl long spells and he’s had success against India as well. So there’s a few reasons why we decided to go with him. “Mitch (Starc) is obviously disappointed…he’s got an enormous amount of talent. He’s quite tall, fast and can swing the ball back into the right-hander. He’s just got to keep working hard at his game. Clarke also clarified that Shaun Marsh has completely recovered. “Marsh’s back is fine. He’s taken it easy…to make sure he’s fully recovered and ready to go for the Boxing Day.” Speaking at length about James Pattinson and Nathan Lyon, Clarke said: “Patto (Pattinson) is very important. As we’ve seen over the past couple of Tests, he’s come on in leaps and bounds. He bowls with good pace, can swing the ball and he’s only as important as the other guys around him. “As for Nathan Lyon, I don’t think he needs counselling. He’s a wonderful talent…got to do things his way. We have got to make sure we bowl Nathan at the right times, set the right fields to give him a little bit of protection and then attack when it’s time to attack.” Heaping praise on young Indian bowler Ravichandran Ashwin, Clarke said: “We’ve seen a fair bit of Ashwin, not too much in Test but in one-day cricket. He’s very talented bowler, gets a lot of bounce, can spin the ball and has got a doosra so he can spin it the other way as well. “We’ve looked at plenty of his footage, we know he’s an important part of the team and we have to play him well to have success in this series.” Clarke said he did not mind that he appeared to be less popular than Ponting when it comes to captaining the side. “I’m not that concerned. It’s about scoring runs and winning games. That’s my job, that’s what I’m trying to do. I hope I’ve earned a bit of respect. I’ve played 70-odd Test matches and scored a few hundreds for my country so I hope there’s a bit of respect there already. “My goals are no different to any (other) series I’ve played. I want to go out there, lead from the front and make sure I’m performing with the bat. But, most importantly, I want Australian cricket to continue to head in the right direction. I want us to play some good cricket,” he said. © PTI  |
| Dhoni determined to turn India into tougher tourists Posted: 24 Dec 2011 01:40 AM PST
India secured the world’s top ranking on home soil after beating Sri Lanka at the end of 2009, but surrendered it meekly to England on tour with a 4-0 whitewash in August. While scratching out tour wins over lowly Bangladesh and New Zealand, India’s home dominance has been tempered by drawn away series with Sri Lanka and South Africa over the past two years.
“Consistently performing well on overseas tours is something we are aiming for and as captain I see it as a challenge,” the soft-spoken wicketkeeper-batsman told reporters in Melbourne on Saturday. “While we have done well in certain series, we have been poor on tours this year so we need to prepare in a fashion that will provide us with the best chance of winning the series.” Although question marks remain over the fitness of front-line pacemen Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma, the team has invested carefully in their preparations, arriving in Australia two weeks before Monday’s first Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. That contrasts with their hasty lead up in the last Australian tour in 2007/08, when they were edged 2-1 after pushing the hosts right to the end. With their golden generation of batsmen almost certainly to play their last series Down Under, India are fancied to upset a disjointed Australian side with a raw bowling unit and new selectors still searching for the team’s best 11. Dhoni, who has made a career of investing in attention to detail, had little time for debating underdogs versus favourites. “We are always under pressure so we don’t really think about the tag,” he said. “I don’t see Australia’s changing team being the reason we have a good chance to perform well, it’s mostly about our preparation and commitment to the task. “As far as getting worried is concerned, I don’t see a single area where we need to be really worried. “If you see the batting line-up that we’ve got, it’s not the first time that they will be touring Australia and it’s not the first time they will be playing at the venue. “They know the conditions very well … We are very optimistic that we will do well in the Test match.” © REUTERS  |
| ‘Indians will find adapting to conditions tough’: Warner Posted: 24 Dec 2011 01:00 AM PST
“You look at their line-up and you can think ‘oh how are we going to get these guys out’. But we know when they’re in Australia, the wickets are different, and we think their mental approach is a bit different to what it is when they’re in India,” Warner said. “We think they automatically know they’re going to win series in India because the wickets turn and it is all in their favour. And it is probably similar to when they come out here, we think the bouncy wickets, they might not be able to adapt to it,” he added.
Warner, however, conceded that the quality of India’s batting line-up is such that, they are expected to score big no matter what the conditions are like. “They’re one of the best line-ups in the world, and capable of scoring big runs on the wickets we’re producing here. We’ve got to be spot on with our lines and lengths with our quicks, and when we’re batting we need to put on as many runs as we can…I reckon we’re in for a good series,” he said. Warner said the key lies in exhausting them on the field. “I definitely think the longer we keep them out there (in the field) the harder it’ll be for them, mentally as well,” he said. “We know a couple of their players don’t like being out in the field for too long and their fast bowlers are under injury clouds as well. “So the more overs we can get out of them, the better for us going into the second innings and also the upcoming Tests. If we can do our damage early in the series it’ll hold us in good stead for the following three,” Warner added. Talking about his own game, Warner said he has learnt to put a premium on his wicket now. “My mental side of the game has changed massively, sometimes in the past I might’ve gone out there and just lost my head or just thrown my wicket away,” he said. “Now I respect my wicket 100 times more. Even in the nets it is the same thing, I used to just go in there, have a hit and say ‘I’m satisfied with that’. “But I look at that now and say, ‘what was I thinking, that was a load of crap’. Now I’m in there, focused, switched on, and it is like a game to me now when I’m in there. When I get out I really kick myself because you only get one chance in the middle,” he added. The hard-hitting batsman said he has been working hard on his defence to make himself a better Test player. “It’s like a forward defence, if I’m practising that in the nets and doing it to perfection, you can do it out in the middle,” Warner said. “But then if you play a shot like that and you get out then people will start saying things. You have to pick the right time to do it, if you’re going to do it. “In Test cricket you’ve got to score runs but you’ve got so much time to do it, you don’t need to play those shots, unless you’re at the back-end of your innings and you want to start firing. Eventually it will come in if I’m settled in, but definitely not early in my innings.” © PTI  |
| We want a controversy-free series: Dhoni Posted: 24 Dec 2011 12:25 AM PST
“Individuals do make mistakes. But as a professional cricketer, you don’t want it. There is a lot at stake, people look up to you, so you want it controversy-free. Still, it’s important you make it interesting,” said Dhoni referring to the 2008 series when ugly exchanges between the two sides almost led to the tour being abandoned midway. All hell had broken loose during the second Test at Sydney when India was at the receiving end of a few controversial decisions, capped by the “Monkeygate scandal” which dragged a few players of the two teams into the chambers of a court.
Dhoni said injury-prone pacers Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma are expected to be fit for the first Test against Australia and precautions have been taken to ensure that they don’t break down in the middle of the series. “We’ve missed Zaheer quite a few times in the past. We did give them (Zaheer and Ishant) some time off, they bowled in the practice game as well as in the practice session. They are shaping up well. There are two more days and we know a lot can happen in two days. Hopefully, they would all be available for selection,” Dhoni said at the pre-match press conference. “We’ve tried to take as much precaution as we could (regarding Zaheer and Ishant). We’ve tried our best whatever we could do. Players have also played their part, they worked outside the field also, in the gym and the rehab sessions they needed to do. They have put in a lot of effort in practice. Hopefully, they wouldn’t have any injury. “Everyone’s fit for the game. All players are looking fit which you need for the format of the game. We don’t need to be worried (on fitness count),” he added. Dhoni also hoped the tour would be different in respect that India has never prepared as well as they have for the present tour. “We’ve taken care of the preparation — if 12-14 days are not enough then even one month wouldn’t be enough. We’ve worked and looked at preparation from all angles so that once we are on the field, we can play by instinct and not worry about other factors. “Our batters have toured here in the past. They know these conditions well. The first practice wicket (in Canberra) was very different, a bit on the slower side. But this one in the nets here has a bit more bounce which is useful,” he said. Dhoni is conscious of the fact that everyone expects his team to win the present Test series but he doesn’t want to lose sight of the immediate task. “How we start in the first Test is important. We want to be in the moment. Break the match into sessions, try to win more sessions than the opposition team. If we win enough sessions, we will win the Test. Our emphasis would be on small things, not where we want to be at the end of the fourth Test. “There’s no point in taking that extra pressure. It will not help us. We need to keep it simple.” Dhoni then went on to speak about a few individuals of the side, including Sachin Tendulkar, who everyone expects to get his 100th international century at the MCG. “He (Sachin) keeps it simple. He would get it, sometime in this or the next Test, this or the next series. It is on the way. It isn’t something he wouldn’t achieve. But if he gets it soon, everyone would feel relieved. “Getting 100 hundreds is something really big. If you ask me, he’s played more international cricket than we have even practiced. He also shares a lot with youngsters who are new to the side. Everyone in the world would cherish the moment when he gets his 100,” Dhoni said. Dhoni also said that opener Virender Sehwag’s form would also be a key factor for the team. “Virender Sehwag is also a key player for us. We rely on him to give a good opening start. He scores at a quick pace, puts the opposition bowlers under pressure. When he is at the crease, you can’t bowl warm up deliveries. “If it’s the first delivery or the last ball before stumps, he would score. It doesn’t matter as long as it is in his areas. It’s good to have him in the side. He enjoys the way he plays. He backs himself to play those shots,” he said. On the speculation surrounding Ishant’s fitness, Dhoni said, “Ishant is a very honest player. He works really hard at the nets. In a few years he has been with the team, he’s someone who turns up on the field and gives his 100 per cent. He has a good attitude. “He plays 60-70 per cent of his cricket in India where it’s difficult to motivate yourself for even if you bowl 140kmph, the ball hardly reaches the wicketkeeper.” Dhoni also had words of praise for young off-spinner R Ashwin, whom he expects to do well in the series. “It’s good to have him, he has few variations. Even when wicket is not helping him, whether he is getting help or not, he adapts well. That’s a big positive. The wickets here would be different from the sub-continent as he would get good bounce. He can capitalise on it but he needs to be patient. “Spinners have key roles in longer format especially. As the game goes and the wicket becomes slower, you need spinners to make use of the foot marks. You need them to keep things tight, give time off to fast bowlers and give crucial breakthroughs. They have a very crucial role.” About his own batting, Dhoni admitted this it hasn’t been a very great year for him in terms of batting at number seven but also pointed out that he missed out on big scores a few times because he ran out of partners. “It’s not been a brilliant year for me at number seven. But I’ve score a lot of 80s. Sometimes I have run short of partners, as it was in South Africa. All of a sudden, I didn’t have batsmen batting with me. I tried to score runs and got out. However, I would like to improve as an individual. Great players are helping me.” Dhoni didn’t want to run down Australia’s young cricketers only because they are inexperienced. “People talk a lot about inexperience. Even McGrath and Shane Warne made debut. They hadn’t played many games but in due course, they became legends. Youngsters can also do so. Inexperience will not count as long as you can adapt to the conditions.” One concern, Dhoni was candid enough to admit, was the massive size of the MCG which can test the fielding ability of cricketers. “It’s massive, a really big ground. We have seen batsmen have run four, even five is possible if fielder is slow. Because the outfield is lush and green, the shots get slow and you run a lot of singles which puts pressure on the fielders in the outfield. “It’s a bit of concern for fielding is very important. We’ve got quite a few good fielders in the outfield. What we want to achieve though is good catching in the slips. I think that would be important.” © PTI  |
| Australia squad for first test against India announced Posted: 23 Dec 2011 11:56 PM PST
Left-arm quick Mitchell Starc also failed to find a place in the final XI, which will have pacer Ben Hilfenhaus who is set to play his first Test since last year’s Ashes. A fit-again Shaun Marsh, who had been battling a back problem, was named at number three after his 99-run knock in a Twenty20 Big Bash knock earlier this week.
The out-of-form duo of Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey have also retained their positions from the 13-member squad that was announced by the selectors. “I’m confident we’ve got the best XI to win this Test match in these conditions,” Clarke said. “I can use Michael Hussey, Ricky Ponting and myself to bowl a few overs. David Warner can bowl a few legspinners. I feel we’ve got the right XI to give ourselves a chance of winning this Test match,” he added, explaining the decision to go with a four-pronged attack. DC (Christian) offers a lot with both bat and ball but unfortunately for him right now we can’t fit him into the XI,” Clarke said. Clarke said Hilfenhaus’ ability to bowl long spells was a major factor in the decision to pick him for the eagerly-anticipated match. “I think it plays a part. His control, he’s a very good new ball bowler. He can bowl long spells. He’s had success against India as well. There’s a few reasons we decided to go with Hilfy,” Clarke said. Speaking on Marsh’ fitness, Clarke said the prolific batsman’s back is finally holding up. “His back is fine. He’s taken it easy yesterday and today to make sure he’s fully recovered and ready to go come Boxing Day. I’d imagine you’ll see Shaun out here tomorrow facing some bowlers or at least having some throwdowns. He’s 100 per cent ready to go,” he said. Australia: Michael Clarke (c), David Warner, Ed Cowan, Shaun Marsh, Ricky Ponting, Michael Hussey, Brad Haddin (wk), Peter Siddle, James Pattinson, Nathan Lyon, Ben Hilfenhaus. © PTI  |
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