Dubai [UAE], March 3 (ANI): Australia captain Steve Smith hopes to avoid bearing the responsibility of rolling his arm as a spinner, considering the turning nature of Dubai’s strip ahead of their semi-final clash against India in the ongoing Champions Trophy on Tuesday.
After witnessing the carnage India spread with four spinners against a dominant New Zealand side, Australia will be wary of the challenge that lies ahead of them.
In front of the Indian spinners’ prowess, New Zealand floundered in their attempts to chase down a modest 250-run target and fell to a 44-run defeat.
Along with Adam Zampa and Tanveer Sangha, Australia will calibrate the best possible way to effectively use its other spin bowling options. Australia has plenty of part-time spin bowling options, including Glenn Maxwell, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, and Cooper Connolly.
Smith, who himself bowls leg-break, hopes to avoid taking up the responsibility with the ball, considering the number of options they possess in their artillery.
“Me to bowl? I hope not. We do have plenty of options there, though. You know, we’ve got Tanveer Sangha in our squad. We’ve got Maxwell, Short’s, obviously out now, who’s a bit of a loss. He’s been bowling quite nicely, bowled really well last game,” he told reporters on the eve of the semi-final clash against India.
“Travis Head can bowl, Marnus can bowl some overs, so Cooper Connolly if we go down that path as well. So, we’ve got a lot of part-time options that could certainly play a role here, and a couple of frontliners as well. So yeah, we’ll see how we line up tomorrow,” he added.
Australia will look to silence the exuberant Indian crown by replicating its success from the famous ODI World Cup 2023 final in Ahmedabad. In Australia’s quest to experience euphoria, a star-studded batting unit stands in their path.
Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul will be out for revenge against the Baggy Greens, who robbed them of their sweet dream almost two years ago.
Smith acknowledged the firepower that India hides in its arsenal. In a game that exceeded the routine norms of rivalry, Smith revealed Australia’s formula for success: “playing better than their opposition.”
“Yeah, I mean, they’re dangerous players. I think the entire Indian batting lineup has the ability to go up and down in gears. They’re a very good side with good cricketers. I think for us, it’s playing the conditions that are in front of us tomorrow and playing it better than the opposition. Simple as that,” he said. (ANI)
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