Australia in West Indies 2012: 4th ODI – Australian batsmen to watch out for
With the five-match series levelled at 1-1, the on-tour http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 cricket team is all set to take on West Indies in the fourth One Day International at the Beausejour Cricket Ground, Gros Islet, St Lucia on Friday, March 23, 2012.
Batting has remained a cause for concern for the tourists as they failed to post a formidable total in any of the three one-dayers played so far. In the series opener at Arnos Vale, they scored 204 runs while in the rain-shortened second ODI, the Aussies
could score only 154 for 9 in their allotted quota of 40 overs. In the thrilling third ODI at the St. Vincent venue, which ended in a memorable last over tie, Australians posted an average total of 220 runs before being bowled out on the penultimate delivery
of their innings.
In the previous match, only Mike Hussey and George Bailey showed some resistance against the West Indies attack, scoring half centuries. Rest of the Australian batsmen, except David Warner, succumbed for scores under 16, including three ducks.
With both sides raring to go into the fourth one-dayer with an aim to take a lead in the series with a victory on Friday, Australian batsmen would have to take the responsibility of giving the bowlers a par score to defend.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/DA-Warner-c1301:
After a series of startling performances in the triangular Commonwealth Bank series at home, Warner was seen struggling in the last three games played on the slow St Vincent deck. However, the hard-hitting 25-year-old batsman still remains the biggest threat
for the Windies attack. On his day, not even a world class attack can put a halt to his blitz.
Since debuting in the ODI cricket in January 2009, the left-handed top order batsman, hailing from http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-South-Wales-c823, has so far played 24 One Day Internationals scoring a tally of 806 runs at an average of 33.58. The tally includes two centuries and three
half centuries, with a career best 163. Warner’s both centuries had come in the recently concluded Commonwealth Bank series.
George Bailey:
George Bailey, the 29-year-old http://www.senore.com/Cricket/West-Indies-c760, will be another batsman who can trouble the home attack in the middle overs.
In the previous match at Arnos Vale, Bailey shared a century stand with Michael Hussey for the fourth-wicket partnership to put the tourists on course to a respectable 220 run total, as the top and lower batting order failed to resist against the Sunil Narine-led
West Indies attack. The T20 captain of Australia scored 87-ball 59 in the match, which ended in a thrilling tie. In the ongoing series, Bailey averages 42.66 from three matches and could be a real problem for the West Indies bowlers in the ensuing games.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/MEK-Hussey-c1942:
The hard-hitting middle order batsman is the senior most and experienced batsman in the Australian camp touring Caribbean, who has an additional responsibility of strengthening the Australian batting in the middle overs in the absence of regular skipper
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/MJ-Clarke-c1978, nursing a hamstring strain at home, and Rickey Ponting, who has been axed from the ODI squad.
His experience of playing in the Caribbean conditions could be quite handy for the tourists. It was Hussey’s painstaking 67-run knock, well complimented by http://www.senore.com/Cricket/George-Bailey-c1480’s meticulous half century, which steered the visitors to a respectable total on Tuesday.
The team and management would be looking forward to Mike Hussey to emulate the half-century performance in the final two one-dayers at St Lucia to help the side clinch the series.
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