Aussie squad feels Michael Clarke’s absence: http://www.senore.com/Cricket/MEK-Hussey-c1942 – Cricket News Update
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/West-Indies-c760, is being sorely missed by his teammates, as they struggle with the unfamiliar conditions in the Caribbean.
Following a hamstring injury, the skipper was ruled out of the ODIs and T20s against the Windies, and is due to rejoin the team for the Test series which commences on April 7 at the Kensington Oval, in Bridgetown, Barbados.
“He's been a class player for us over a long period of time and, particularly in the last six months, he's performed outstandingly well. He's definitely missed,” said veteran Michael Hussey, adding that http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Clarke-c51120 was remarkably adept at playing in different
conditions and situations.
Meanwhile, with Shane Watson filling in as stand-in skipper, the ODI series is underway, and after having won the first match by 64 runs, the visitors went on to suffer a 5-wicket loss in the second game.
The conditions in the Caribbean were a cause of concern for many as the team prepared for their tour. The pitches, known for being notoriously low and slow, are not conducive to batsmen, or pacers.
The tourists’ first victory was mostly due to their bowlers. The batsmen registered mediocre scores, and T20 skipper http://www.senore.com/Cricket/George-Bailey-c1480 remained the highest scorer with 48. The host team was set up to chase a 205 target, but the Aussie bowlers struck mercilessly,
with spinner http://www.senore.com/Cricket/XJ-Doherty-c2804 featuring most prominently, taking 4 for 49.
However, the hosts got their own back in the second match of the series on March 18 as they went on to register a 5-wicket win which they owed largely to spinner http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sunil-Philip-Narine-c91869, whose 4 for 27 was instrumental in restricting the Aussies to 154. The batsmen,
once again, failed to shine, among them http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Peter-Forrest-c2176 (0).
“From a batting point of view, in these conditions, if we can turn those 20s into 40s, then it can make a big difference,” the elder Hussey observed. “That's an extra 15-20 runs which is quite a lot when you're playing in these conditions. Certainly that's
one thing we've got to try and get better at.”
The 3rd game between the two sides will be played today at Arnos Vale Ground, Kingstown, St Vincent.
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