Clarke ready to lead Oz batting attack against spinners

BENGALURU - Australian vice-captain Michael Clarke has said he will have to lead the batting attack against the formidable spin of hosts India and Sri Lanka if Australia wants to do well at the 2011 World Cup.

Clarke’s reluctance to dominate fast bowlers has been criticized, but the right-hander is Australia’s best hope against slow bowling.

The Australian vice-captain predicted slow bowling would be a weapon for teams throughout the upcoming tournament.

“I think the wickets will be quite slow and spin a bit, similar to what they were in the West Indies [in the 2007 World Cup]. One of the good things about playing in the sub-continent is that so many guys have had experience here. With the Indian Premier League and the Champions League, plenty of guys have had opportunities to play in these conditions,” Clarke said.

“It’s probably important that I do play well against spin bowling. I’ve had some success against spin in the past but I’ve also got out to spin a fair bit as well. It’s that type of art - sometimes you can go for a lot of runs, other times you can get a lot of wickets,” The Age quoted him, as saying.

Half of Australia’s eight guaranteed matches for the World Cup will be played in Bengaluru. (ANI)