Xavier Doherty wins a berth in Australian ODI squad
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Tasmania-c854’s upcoming spinner Xavier Doherty has been drafted in Australia’s line-up for the ODI series against the Sri Lankans that starts on the 3rd of November at the MCG in Melbourne.
The promising youngster has been rewarded for his outstanding run in domestic cricket with an Australian ODI cap and the youngster is understandably elated with the opportunity handed to him.
“It's been one of the better days in my cricketing life", Doherty said. "I was on a high after getting the news last night. Coming here today I had a bit to live up to and luckily things went my way today, so it was pretty pleasing”.
"A little confidence boost like that never goes astray. It's good news to get going into a Shield game. I was pretty nervous going into this Shield game. I hadn't bowled in a four-day game for six months, so I was quite nervous, which
is a bit unusual for me, so it definitely helped".
The 27-year old spinner has not been a regular starter in his state’s first class team, last summer he was the leading wicket taker in the Australian One Day campaign claiming 20 victims in all and many believed that it was only a
matter of time before he sneaks into the national team.
Doherty like most Australians has not been drafted in at an early age and feels that the time is rife for him to showcase his skills at the international level.
"Spin bowlers are very different," Doherty said. "You get batsmen who are 21 and fast bowlers that are 18 or 19 can come in to this system, but for spin bowlers it's always going to take a bit of time. Some guys will pop up at 20 and
go missing and then come back in to it. I think it's pretty perfect timing for me, because it's allowed me to play 80 games for Tasmania and be in a lot of different situations and gain a lot of experience".
A left-arm orthodox bowler, Doherty cannot turn the ball a long way, yet he has the ability to surprise the batsmen with his clever change of pace and discerning bounce off a good length which catches batsmen off guard.
Tasmania has done very well in the presence of Doherty and Kretja in their One-Day line-up and according to Doherty the presence of the Test spinner spurred him on no ends.
He added that it was more like a kick up the bum when Kretja came down to Tasmania, as he found out that he was no more the lone spinner in the team.
Since the off-spinner’s arrival at Hobart the two spinners have had plenty to cheer about and their performances have been approved by the Australian selectors also.
The advantage with Doherty is that he provides the World Champions option of a left arm spinner in their squad. He can be an ideal choice in the team for next year’s World Cup in the Subcontinent where the ball spins considerably.
Doherty would be aiming to win a place in the team for the high profile tournament that the Aussies have won four times, including the last three editions.
The immediate task for the spinner is to establish himself in the team during the series against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sri-Lanka-c758. The limited overs tour includes two T20s in Perth and Melbourne, followed by a three match ODI series.
The first match is set to be played at the MCG in Melbourne on 3rd November, followed by matches at the SCG in Sydney on 5th November and the last game of the series is at the Gabba in Brisbane on 7th
November.
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