London, June 8
Australia’s assistant coach Ricky Ponting expects India to select an extra fast bowler on Sunday to exploit the holders’ vulnerability to short-pitched deliveries, which was evident in their scrappy win over West Indies. The Caribbean pace battery terrorised Australia’s top-order in Nottingham, reducing them to 38/4 in the eighth over, with Oshane Thomas hitting Usman Khawaja on the helmet in an illustration of the top order’s obvious discomfort.
India had preferred Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s swing to Mohammed Shami’s pace against South Africa, but they might sacrifice one of their two frontline spinners to accommodate a paceman at the Oval, Ponting suggested. “(Jasprit) Bumrah we know is a very good new ball bowler and I’m sure he’ll mix it up and bowl some short stuff and some full stuff,” Ponting said, referring to the current world No. 1 ranked ODI bowler. “Bhuvneshwar will probably not worry you too much with his pace or his bouncers. Hardik (Pandya) can maybe rush you a little bit, so maybe they have a decision to make on the overall make-up of their side. Do they maybe go with only the one spinner and use (all-rounder) Kedar Jadhav as a second spinner and play another fast bowler? We’ll worry about that in the next couple of days and make sure all the boys are prepared.”
Finding a way
A three-time World Cup winner himself, Ponting said he would discuss the matter with Khawaja and Glenn Maxwell, who responded to one short delivery with an unusual attempt to pull the ball, only to lose his wicket. “Usman got hit again… so he’s had a few hits in the last few weeks. I haven’t spoken to him (to see) if he’s rattled, but that’s part and parcel of top order batting against brand new balls,” Ponting said. “You’ve got to find a way to cope and a way to get through hostile spells knowing that it’s not going to last forever. It’s a bit of an uncharacteristic shot from (Maxwell) as well. He’s not a natural hooker and puller of the ball anyway. It’s just a little bit of a blip on the radar that we’ll have a chat about and make sure we’re prepared for the next game.” — Reuters
LONDON: The Indian team’s training session was called off due to rain today, leaving the Virat Kohli-led side with only one day to train ahead of their showdown with Australia. India travelled to London from Southampton on Thursday, a day after beating South Africa by six wickets in their tournament-opener. Rain had also forced India to cancel their optional training on the eve of the game against South Africa at the Hampshire Bowl. — PTI
Pak, Lanka split points after washout
Pakistan and Sri Lanka were forced to split the two points after their World Cup match was called off due to heavy rain, which left the field unplayable in Bristol. After a couple of inspections, umpires Nigel Llong and Ian Gould decided to call off the game. The sky was still cloudy when the final inspection was held, keeping in mind a 20-over-a-side game.
