Australia can win World Twenty20, says Clarke
Test, ODI captain confident of team’s success in Sri Lanka.
SYDNEY:
Australia can win the World Twenty20, said Test and One-Day International captain Michael Clarke, even if they are ranked ninth in the world and will have to do it without him.
Clarke quit the shortest form of the game after the final match of the 2010-11 Ashes debacle and will spend the next two months preparing for a three-match series against top-ranked Test side South Africa by playing for New South Wales. In his absence, Australia slumped below Ireland in the Twenty20 rankings after successive defeats to Pakistan in the UAE, before rising back above their pool stage rivals with a 94-run win in the third match on Monday.
“I think we can win it,” said Clarke. “We’ve got the talent and we showed that in the last game against Pakistan, and I think we’ve showed it in patches over the last couple of years.”
Clarke said he had watched all three Twenty20s on television, adding that while rankings did not tell the whole story, they did indicate there was plenty of work to do.
“It is different for the Australia team but I guess it shows we haven’t performed as well as we need to in this format of the game. We need to turn that around and what better time than at the World Twenty20.”
Gayle set to revive happy SL memories
Meanwhile, explosive West Indies opener Chris Gayle said his Test triple-century in Sri Lanka two years ago will spur him on in the World Twenty20.
The left-hander, who smashed a career-best 333 in the opening Test at Galle in 2010, said he was eagerly looking forward to the tournament starting in Sri Lanka.
“To get that triple-century was great,” said the 32-year-old. “I have some happy memories here in Sri Lanka. I’m hoping to use that as a booster to bigger and better things.”
The West Indies, who have not progressed through to the final in the previous three editions of the tournament, are drawn with Australia and Ireland in Group B of the preliminary league, with the top two teams advancing to the Super Eights round.
“When you look at our team you can say we’re well balanced. We want to get it together this time around. Once we stick to what we know, I don’t see any reason why we can’t go all the way.”
Miandad to ‘represent’ PCB
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirmed that while Javed Miandad will be assisting the national batsmen in Sri Lanka, he is not going as part of the team management.
“Miandad holds a very senior position in the PCB – the Director-General as well as the chairman of the cricket committee – and will be in Sri Lanka on a brief tour as in charge of cricket,” a PCB spokesperson told The Express Tribune. “Being a former international cricketer, he will also give valuable tips to the team during his visit but he’s not part of the squad or the team management.”
Published in The Express Tribune, September 14th, 2012.
Australia can win the World Twenty20, said Test and One-Day International captain Michael Clarke, even if they are ranked ninth in the world and will have to do it without him.
Clarke quit the shortest form of the game after the final match of the 2010-11 Ashes debacle and will spend the next two months preparing for a three-match series against top-ranked Test side South Africa by playing for New South Wales. In his absence, Australia slumped below Ireland in the Twenty20 rankings after successive defeats to Pakistan in the UAE, before rising back above their pool stage rivals with a 94-run win in the third match on Monday.
“I think we can win it,” said Clarke. “We’ve got the talent and we showed that in the last game against Pakistan, and I think we’ve showed it in patches over the last couple of years.”
Clarke said he had watched all three Twenty20s on television, adding that while rankings did not tell the whole story, they did indicate there was plenty of work to do.
“It is different for the Australia team but I guess it shows we haven’t performed as well as we need to in this format of the game. We need to turn that around and what better time than at the World Twenty20.”
Gayle set to revive happy SL memories
Meanwhile, explosive West Indies opener Chris Gayle said his Test triple-century in Sri Lanka two years ago will spur him on in the World Twenty20.
The left-hander, who smashed a career-best 333 in the opening Test at Galle in 2010, said he was eagerly looking forward to the tournament starting in Sri Lanka.
“To get that triple-century was great,” said the 32-year-old. “I have some happy memories here in Sri Lanka. I’m hoping to use that as a booster to bigger and better things.”
The West Indies, who have not progressed through to the final in the previous three editions of the tournament, are drawn with Australia and Ireland in Group B of the preliminary league, with the top two teams advancing to the Super Eights round.
“When you look at our team you can say we’re well balanced. We want to get it together this time around. Once we stick to what we know, I don’t see any reason why we can’t go all the way.”
Miandad to ‘represent’ PCB
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirmed that while Javed Miandad will be assisting the national batsmen in Sri Lanka, he is not going as part of the team management.
“Miandad holds a very senior position in the PCB – the Director-General as well as the chairman of the cricket committee – and will be in Sri Lanka on a brief tour as in charge of cricket,” a PCB spokesperson told The Express Tribune. “Being a former international cricketer, he will also give valuable tips to the team during his visit but he’s not part of the squad or the team management.”
Published in The Express Tribune, September 14th, 2012.