Australia’s new captain Michael Clarke says he will count on his predecessor Ricky Ponting’s advice in the One-Day International (ODI) series against Bangladesh starting in Dhaka today. Ponting stepped down after his team’s loss to India in the World Cup quarter-final and has already offered all-out support to Clarke.
“His advice has always been very helpful to me whether that was when I was his vice-captain or now as the captain,” said Clarke.
“I’ve certainly said openly to Ricky that everybody will continue to need his knowledge of the game and me definitely. It’s crucial for the team going forward.”
Clarke, who has previously led Australia as a stand-in captain, added that there would be pressure. “Obviously, there’s an added pressure as a captain but I think we have a very good team. I think we can be successful going forward.
“We want to start the tour well by getting a win and have some success on this tour. That is our main focus.”
Eyeing whitewash
Clarke said he expected his team to be more consistent in future as they play the first of three ODIs against Bangladesh.
“The one thing I am trying to bring to this team is to be more consistent. I think over the World Cup we played some really good cricket in patches and then played some poor cricket,” he said.
Clarke said his team needed to be “at their best” against Bangladesh, who had been playing good cricket in home conditions.
“They have played some really good cricket over the last few years, especially at the World Cup. They are probably getting more consistent and have a lot of talent,” said Clarke.
“I would like it [series result] to be 3-0 from the Australian point of view, but that might not be the case. Hopefully we can win every game we play.”
‘Chance to prove ourselves’
Bangladesh captain Shakibal Hasan, whose team failed to qualify for the World Cup quarter-finals, said they had another chance to prove themselves.
“We will have to do better than what we did at the World Cup. We have been fortunate to get another chance,” said Shakib.
“We might not have the same pressure we had but we will be trying to put up our best performance.”
The remaining two ODIs will be played in Dhaka on April 11 and 13.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 9th, 2011.
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