There are two things that the Indians can learn from the encounter between the mighty Australians and the minnows Kenya. The bowlers got it right in the sense that they were sustained and ruthless in their aggression.
This is the way the Indians should also operate. They should not be indulgent and complacent against the cubs of world cricket.
I was impressed by the way Brett Lee bowled at peak speed, without giving the inexperienced Kenyans any chance of upping their tempo.
The other Australian bowlers also showed great motivation, and there was no doubt that they were treating the game with the seriousness that a Super Six game should be treated with.
The Australian batsmen taught the Indians another lesson. They were rash and convinced that victory would be theirs. I was surprised to see them get out against the bowling of Karim.
If it was not complacency, then it was plain incompetent batting. The Indians got a scare against the Kenyans in their game under lights, and the semifinals too will be played under lights at Durban.
This means they must bat carefully, as overcast conditions would be a big factor helping the bowlers, and even the inexperienced bunch from Kenya could then prove to be a handful.
The Indians are in a situation similar to the tennis player poised for a smash under a weak lob. It’s an easy shot, but how many times have we seen it crash into the net? They have to smash the Kenyans without thinking a victory will come if they just turn up at the park.
The other game on the last day of the Super Six stage allowed Sri Lanka to slink into the semifinals despite a pretty inconsistent performance in the tournament. Having said that, they must be pretty happy about the venue at which they are playing the Australians.
The Australians have made an issue of the unsuitability of the St. George’s wicket, but I doubt whether it will be very different from the earlier occasions when a game has been played there.
Muralitharan will be rubbing his hands, while Aravinda de Silva has also been pretty useful as a spinner. I would worry a little more about the latter since he seems to be determined to make his last World Cup a memorable one. However, the Sri Lankan batting, barring Sanath Jayasuriya, Marvan Atapattu and De Silva looks very out of form.
Honestly, while they may threaten the Australians, I doubt that they will be actually able to defend them. New Zealand were let down by the fact that their bowling is a one-man show. I have been really impressed by the skill, aggression and pace exhibited by Bond. However, either Tuffey or Oram will have to pitch in if the team is to do well. In the Super Sixes, it was the lack of back-up to Bond that cost the Kiwis a semifinals berth.
Arab News Sports 18 March 2003
