Confident Brett Lee defends pace-dominated Oz attack for World Cup
By ANISaturday, February 19, 2011
AHMEDABAD - Australian pace spearhead Brett Lee emphases that their fast bowlers will be effective even on spin-friendly pitches of Indian Subcontinent during the cricket World Cup, beginning on Saturday in Bangladesh.
The defending champion team is stacked with fast bowlers with just only one frontline spinner in form of Jason Krejza, but Lee does not see a problem in adjusting to the alien conditions.
“I really don’t see any problem with the pace attack that we have got, we are playing on these low and slow wickets, because at the end of the day its 150 km/h (kilometers per hour) through the air,” said Lee after practice session in Ahmedabad.
The bowler said they were trying to create an environment, where each bowler backs each other in the team.
“Well pitches are massive part of the equation but if you are going to go like Shaun Tait bowling around 160 km/h (kilometers per hour) at the batsmen’s toes it doesn’t matter whether you are playing at Waca (Perth) or playing here in India,” he said.
“It will still hit the batsman at his toes on full. What we are trying to do is to bowl in team environment. We have to back the other guys and with our spinners I think we have got very good attack,” added Lee.
The Kangaroos are placed in Group A in the ICC World Cup with Zimbabwe, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, Canada and Kenya.
Australia begins its World Cup campaign against Zimbabwe at the Motera Stadium on the outskirts of Ahmedabad on February 21. They sweat it out at the Motera Stadium during their practice sessions.
Lee further said that he is confident that he can make the ball talk at the start and the end of the innings when Australia play their World Cup opener against Zimbabwe.
Lee also played down any concerns that the defending champions had lost their momentum after losing by 38 runs and seven wickets to India and South Africa.
“We have taken a lot out of these two practice matches which will put us in good stead for the first game on Monday,” he said. (ANI)
