Arthur tells bowlers to sharpen up

Updated September 24, 2012 17:17:13

Coach Mickey Arthur says Australia's bowlers must learn a lesson, believing they panicked in a sloppy World Twenty20 performance against West Indies.

Captain George Bailey's team have moved into the Super Eights stage where the Australians face heavyweights India and South Africa.

But Arthur was unhappy about the way some Australian bowlers strayed from the game plan and warned they must improve after copping stick from the Windies in their final group game.

Australia faced the task of making the fifth-highest successful run chase in T20 International history after the Chris Gayle-inspired Windies belted 8 for 191.

But rain intervened and they won by 17 runs on the Duckworth/Lewis Method after scoring 1 for 100 from 9.1 overs.

Offspinner Glenn Maxwell conceded 17 runs from his only over as Gayle blasted his way to 54 off 33 balls.

Pace bowlers Shane Watson (2-29) and Mitchell Starc (3-35) were Australia's leading wicket-takers but Arthur didn't spare Starc or fellow young speedster Pat Cummins (1-41 off four overs) in a damning critique of the team's bowling efforts.

"I was really disappointed the way we executed with the ball," said Arthur.

"We were just a little bit sloppy and that annoyed me a little bit."

Arthur said he didn't mind a bowler trying to bowl a particular type of yorker and narrowly missing the mark and getting hit for six.

"I've got problems when we're hit both sides of the wicket and I know what plans I want to execute against Chris Gayle," Arthur said.

"When we get it completely wrong, then I really get annoyed.

"Short and wide, back of a length. He just stood (in the fifth over, the second bowled by Cummins) and took 18 runs.

"I don't mind if they bowl a wide with a bouncer, particularly with a guy like Gayle, just to let the batter know. Then you've got to get it head high.

"We wanted to try and cramp Gayle up a little bit, which we did to a certain degree.

"Once he started going, I thought we panicked just a fraction.

"But saying that, we've got Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins, young bowlers who can only have benefited from (Saturday night's) experiences.

"I'm not massively disappointed but we need to take from that and learn."

Arthur gave his squad a two-day break before training resumes on Tuesday for Friday night's opening Super Eights clash with the strong Indian battling line-up.

AAP

Tags: sport, cricket, sri-lanka, australia, jamaica

First posted September 24, 2012 17:17:13

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Proteas bowlers may struggle in Tests: Cowan

Updated September 23, 2012 14:09:59

Ed Cowan sees South Africa as clearly the best Test team in the world but is not convinced its bowlers will be as potent in Australia as they were in England.

Cowan led an Australia A side in two rain-affected, drawn Tests against the England Lions last month, top-scoring for his side in both matches to consolidate his place alongside David Warner in the Test lineup.

The Proteas defeated England's first XI 2-0 at the same time and, though impressed with what he saw, Cowan feels their form in the northern hemisphere gives little indication as to how they will fare in the upcoming three-Test series in Australia.

"They're obviously the best team in the world," Cowan told Grandstand. "I've thought that for a while.

"It was nice to get close hand experience of watching them closely.

"But the conditions are very, very different in Australia than they are in England.

"Their bowlers bowled well in English conditions. The challenge for them is to come here and do the same."

Though the Gabba and WACA pitches would appear suited to Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel, Cowan said there is also a high-risk factor, as well as potential great reward, on these tracks.

"They're both wickets that you need to bowl in the right areas," Cowan said. "The margin for error is smaller.

"If you get it right it can be very dangerous for the batsmen but if you get it wrong the ball can go all round the park.

"There's more margin for length error in England than there is on those two wickets.

"The ball spun for (Imran) Tahir which might not happen here - he cleaned up the (English) tail because of it.

"It's a new tour, they haven't seen a lot of our Test cricketers before and I think they're going to be really pushed by an Australian team that's been playing some strong cricket."

Tags: sport, cricket, australia, tas

First posted September 23, 2012 13:09:09

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Bulls bowlers have Tigers reeling

Updated March 18, 2012 20:05:00

The sterling efforts of veterans James Hopes and Chris Hartley on Sunday put Queensland in the box seat to win the Sheffield Shield final against defending champion Tasmania at the Gabba.

But Test opener Ed Cowan stands in the way of a Bulls victory after the hosts dominated day three of the decider before bad light ended play early.

At stumps, the Tigers were 6 for 136 - a lead of 101 runs - with Cowan unbeaten on 59 and all-rounder Luke Butterworth 11 not out.

The decision by umpires Bruce Oxenford and Simon Fry to suspend play clearly irked Bulls coach Darren Lehmann, who vented his frustration to the officials as the players left the field under a grey sky in Brisbane.

"I don't think it's that bad. It wasn't at this time of the afternoon yesterday when we were out there and it was raining," Bulls quick Ryan Harris told Grandstand.

"It's pretty frustrating not to be out there, especially to bowl two balls in an over and all of a sudden it's not good enough.

"The judgement of the umpires isn't going too well I would have thought," added Harris, who was disgruntled with a few lbw shouts being turned away, including one against Cowan.

The Tasmanian and Test opener hit back at Harris' comments, saying the Bulls bowlers need to let the umpires do their job.

"Four-day cricket is not meant to be played in the dark under lights," said Cowan, who rated the Shield final as intense as any of the four Test matches he had played in.

Cowan believed the Bulls could crumble under pressure if they were forced to chase any total over 150 on Monday.

"To chase runs in a Sheffield Shield final, as we found out last year, is nerve-racking - it's gut-wrenching," he said.

"Anything above 150 we can really make challenging with early wickets, 200 starts playing on the mind.

"If we get the right conditions overhead, anything can happen, we saw Queensland lose 9 for 60 against WA not long ago."

But the Bulls have time on their side, needing only a draw to claim their first Shield title since 2005-06.

Hartley and Hopes are the only surviving members from that triumph and they, along with Test quick Ryan Harris, played key roles on Sunday as the Tigers slumped to 5 for 87.

Bulls captain Hopes bowled with venom and guile in claiming two wickets, including the prized scalp of former Test captain Ricky Ponting (6), while Hartley rescued the hosts with a gutsy century in the first session.

In the first ball of his spell, Hopes (2 for 47) clean-bowled Ponting as the Tigers skipper played across the line and missed an inswinger.

The medium-pacer also dismissed James Faulkner (3) while Harris (2 for 35) captured his first wickets of the match in a sizzling spell after being unlucky to miss out in the first innings.

Cowan and Tom Triffitt compiled a 51-run partnership before Harris went around the wicket to have Triffitt (35) caught in the slips by Andrew Robinson, his third catch of the innings.

Regular first-drop Alex Doolan (15) batted at number seven after experiencing back spasms on Sunday but he never looked comfortable, eventually caught hooking in the deep off the bowling of first innings hero Alister McDermott.

It does not take a brain surgeon to realise that Cowan is the only real stumbling block to the Bulls winning their seventh Shield title.

"I guarantee our bowlers will be gunning to get them for less than 150 tomorrow and I think if we can knock Cowan over, we're a big shot of doing that," Hartley said.

Earlier on Sunday, Hartley sparked the hosts' stunning revival with a superb knock of 111 in difficult batting conditions to guide the Bulls to a first-innings total of 276 - a handy lead of 35 runs.

It was Hartley's first Shield century in more than two years and it could not have come at a better time for the Bulls, who were reeling at 5 for 55 in the second session on Saturday.

"I was really glad that on a pretty tricky wicket and in a tough situation, I played the game I wanted to play," said Hartley, who has been battling a virus he picked up on Thursday.

"I've have to rate that (century) up there pretty highly."

Magoffin, despite suffering a back strain, chipped in with a valuable 31 in a 97-run partnership with Hartley, who was the last man dismissed when trapped lbw off the bowling of Jackson Bird (4 for 56).

ABC/AAP

Tags: cricket, sport, brisbane-4000, qld, hobart-7000, tas, australia

First posted March 18, 2012 18:50:21

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Sri Lanka to target weak Australia bowlers

Updated February 10, 2012 06:24:28

Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene claims Australia's bowling attack is its weakness, and his batsmen will target them in Friday's one-day international at the WACA Ground.

With Brett Lee out injured and emerging stars Pat Cummins and James Pattinson still on the comeback trail, Jayawardene said Australia's bowling attack could potentially be exposed if his team plays smartly.

Those comments are sure to fire up the likes of speedsters Clint McKay and Mitchell Starc, who combined for six wickets to skittle India for just 151 in the series-opener.

Ryan Harris, who boasts a one-day average of 16.80, and spinner Xavier Doherty were also part of that attack and will no doubt want to prove a point against Sri Lanka on Friday.

Jayawardene said his team needed to win the key moments to cause an upset over Australia.

And with Harris having endured an injury-hit summer and Starc and McKay still yet to establish themselves as regulars in the national set-up, Jayawardene felt his batting line-up had a good chance to get on top.

"(Harris) is a decent bowler but they're still missing quite a few frontline guys," Jayawardene said after Sri Lanka's four-wicket loss to India in Perth on Wednesday.

"That's an area we can target."

Sri Lanka was disappointing in its opening match of the series, posting just 8 for 233 before India cruised to the victory target with 20 balls to spare.

The match was Sri Lanka's first under new coach Graham Ford, who controversially replaced the sacked Geoff Marsh last month.

Jayawardene, who took over as skipper from Tillakaratne Dilshan as part of the upheaval, said it would take time for his team to build momentum.

Australian batsman Peter Forrest is likely to be handed his one-day international debut on Friday, but coach Mickey Arthur said he was struggling to decide who to leave out of the side.

Paceman Ben Hilfenhaus has been drafted into the squad as cover for Lee, but Arthur said he was almost certain to stick with the same bowling attack that performed so well against India last week.

AAP

Tags: sport, onedayseries, cricket, sri-lanka, wa

First posted February 09, 2012 16:55:04

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Razzaq doesn't rate Aussie bowlers

Updated December 21, 2011 19:05:20

Pakistan all-rounder Abdul Razzaq says Australia will struggle to beat India in the Boxing Day Test because the home side does not have any world-class bowlers.

Razzaq, who is in Australia playing for Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash League, says India deserves favouritism and predicted a tough time for the Australians against the world's number two-ranked Test nation.

His theory is perhaps proved by the Australians recalling paceman Ben Hilfenhaus to a 13-man squad named for the match at the MCG - his first sniff of Test action since failing in the Ashes series.

Razzaq believes an attack led by youngster James Pattinson and Peter Siddle is a far cry from Australia's glory days when Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne spearheaded a deadly bowling line-up.

"I believe Australia doesn't have world-class bowlers like McGrath, Shane Warne and Brett Lee and that will be difficult," Razzaq said on Wednesday.

"India are (aiming) to be the world champions and they will give a tough time to Australia."

Razzaq hopes the Renegades can use their first home match to right a BBL campaign which started badly with a weekend loss to Adelaide Strikers.

The Renegades host Perth Scorchers at Docklands on Thursday night, with most eyes set to be on Scorchers batsman Shaun Marsh if he plays.

Marsh, who was named in Australia's Test squad, needs to line up for the Scorchers in Thursday night's match to prove his fitness for Boxing Day.

A final decision on his participation in the T20 match will be made on Thursday.

Renegades captain Andrew McDonald said his team was stung by its first-up loss, but had watched with interest the Scorchers also lose in their opening match.

"There are definitely a couple of weaknesses we'd like to exploit that were identified in their loss to Hobart on Sunday night," McDonald said.

"Having said that, we've been working to fine-tune our own game these past few days and I'm confident the boys will be much better for the run come tomorrow night."

Star batsman Brad Hodge will not play, with coach Simon Helmot erring on the side of caution to let him fully recover from a hamstring injury.

AAP

Tags: cricket, sport, australia

First posted December 21, 2011 19:05:20

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