6 hours ago
2
White-ball cricket is often about the powerplay at the start of an innings and the death overs at the end, but the Australia captain Steve Smith believes it is the overs in the middle that will decide the Champions Trophy semi-final against India on Tuesday.
Australia go into the Dubai lair that dry pitches and expat fans have turned into a home from home for India with Rohit Sharma’s team seeking to snare them in a web of spin. India used four spinners in their last match against New Zealand, the quartet taking nine wickets, five going to the recalled Varun Chakravarthy.
They may field the same four-pronged attack on Tuesday even though five of the 12 wickets fell to pace when the same wicket was used for India’s victory over Pakistan on 23 February.
Australia’s spin options look light by comparison, which puts the emphasis on a batting lineup that has so far made 465 runs for six wickets at more than seven an over. But that was in Pakistan, in different conditions. For geopolitical reasons all India’s games are being played in Dubai.
“The whole square block is pretty dry,” Smith said. “There’s going to be some spin looking at the surface. Having spoken to the groundsman, [it’s] a dry surface [which has] had a lot of traffic.
“I think for us the game’s probably won and lost how we play the spin, particularly in the middle overs, the way we get through there. It’s going to be a challenge.
“There’s different ways we can attack the game, whether we want to bat or bowl first tomorrow, but playing the spinners in the middle overs is going to be crucial for us to have success in this game.”
Australia have lost Matt Short, who bowled seven overs for 21 against Afghanistan besides opening the batting, so may draft his replacement in the squad, Cooper Connolly, straight into the XI. But Smith raised another possibility.
Agreeing Australia may play two frontline spinners, he said: “We’ve got Tanveer Sangha in our squad, who’s got some quality skill. Glenn Maxwell is probably better than a part-timer [spinner], Travis Head’s done well when the conditions suit, Marnus [Labuschagne, who took two for 41 against England] can bowl some overs. So we’ve got a lot of part-time options that could certainly play a role on here and a couple of frontliners as well.”
And what about Smith’s own legspinners, he was asked. That raised a quizzical look. “Me to bowl? I hope not.”
after newsletter promotion
Smith added the team had enjoyed their time in Dubai having flown in on Saturday, gambling on an India win against New Zealand. If the Black Caps had won they would have had to head back to Lahore.
“We guessed right in the end. It was ideal to be here and have a couple of days’ preparation,” he said. “Had we stayed and waited for last night’s result we would have had to have flown here today [Monday] and play tomorrow, not get a chance to train on the surface or get used to the conditions.
“We had a little reset and a chance to have a couple of days outside of a pretty strict bubble in Pakistan with the security and stuff. It’s been nice to just have a couple of days to chill here, a bit of training. A couple of guys have played some golf and wandered around.
“We’re well prepared and looking forward to it. We feel like we’re playing nicely. Two good teams going at it. It should be a good contest.”
