Hauritz resists Ponting’s push for change in bowling style

SYDNEY - Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting and off-spinner Nathan Hauritz remain on a collision course after the latter declared he would be sticking to his tried-and-true formula leading into the Ashes series this summer.

Ponting wants Hauritz to bowl more like Indian counterpart Harbhajan Singh,but the 29-year-old is supremely confident his game does not require major change to be successful on the world stage.

“I think the most important thing for me is to stick with what I know and what’s got me here and what I’ve done so far at this level,” Hauritz told the Herald.

He added: “As soon as I start to change things too much, that’s when problems occur. I just need to watch that and keep executing well. I’m extremely confident in what I can do, what I can bring and what I’ve done over the last however long it’s been.”

Hauritz received encouragement from selector Greg Chappell, who suggested Australia would play a spinner in the first Test on the traditional seam-friendly wicket at the Gabba.

“I am not convinced four fast bowlers is the way to go; I think the balance of the bowling attack is what you need to be looking at in a Test match,” Chappell said.

Hauritz’s comments are at odds with the advice Ponting has given him since the spinner returned to the Test arena two years ago after four years in the wilderness.

The captain wants Hauritz to bowl from wider of the crease to improve his chances of hitting footmarks created by left-arm quicks Mitchell Johnson and Doug Bollinger and spinning into the pads of the right-handers.

“If you look at angles Nathan creates and the shape of the ball compared to what Harbhajan does, it’s chalk and cheese,” Ponting said during last month’s series against India.

“From where he was bowling from, it was almost impossible for him to land the ball in the footmarks.

“I think it’s important we keep trying to work with him on those things. You have to have more than one string in your bow now in international cricket, particularly if you’re an off-spinner.”

However, Hauritz and Harbhajan are regarded as different types of finger-spinners.

With his lower arm action, Hauritz rolls his wrist around the ball and relies on curl to deceive batsmen, a tactic more effective when he bowls from closer to the stumps.

Harbhajan, whose arm almost brushes his ear at the point of release, delivers from wider out on the crease, imparts more top spin and troubles batsmen with his extra bounce.

But Hauritz said there were aspects of Harbhajan’s game he would be trying to adopt.

“Harbhajan does his own thing. I think Ricky was talking about trying to bowl a different line and work on different things there. That’s something I’ll probably take out and improve on as well,” Hauritz said.

Hauritz bowled only two overs in NSW’s romp against Queensland but will use Shield games against Victoria and Tasmania to prepare for the Ashes opener starting on November 25. (ANI)