The Hindu : Sport : Australia changes winning combination

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jan 02, 2005

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Australia changes winning combination

SYDNEY, JAN. 1. Australian selectors changed a winning combination, dropping fast bowler Michael Kasprowicz and Darren Lehmann for leg-spinner Stuart MacGill and rookie all-rounder Shane Watson for the third cricket Test against an injury-depleted Pakistan.

Australian captain Ricky Ponting announced the starting XI on Saturday, on the eve of the Sydney Cricket Ground match. The Australians have an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the series and are changing a line-up that has won four consecutive matches.

Pakistan faces a different selection dilemma because it has only 13 fit players. Yousuf Youhana will captain Pakistan again after regular skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq was ruled out with a lingering back problem.

Abdul Razzaq, still suffering from dizziness that forced him into hospital during the second Test, has joined fast bowler Mohammad Sami (heel) and all-rounder Shoaib Malik (hand) on the list of players sidelined since Melbourne.

``We have to replace four players. Inzamam is not fit, still. Razzaq is not fit,'' Youhana said. ``There'll be a lot of changes in the team.''

Pakistan didn't name its starting XI. Most question marks are over who will partner Shoaib Akhtar with the new ball in the absence of Sami and who will come in as the all-rounder.

None of Australia's changes were injury enforced, with Ponting saying the selections were based on balance.

Kasprowicz omitted

Kasprowicz has been part of a three-pronged pace attack for series wins against Sri Lanka, India and New Zealand and helped Australia to an unbeatable 2-0 lead in this series.

But the big paceman has been overlooked because the SCG pitch favours spin and MacGill can work in tandem with first-choice leg-spinner Shane Warne, while Glenn McGrath and Jason Gillespie take the new ball.

Lehmann has been struggling for form, although Ponting said being dropped here didn't spell the end for the veteran batsman's career and that 23-year-old Watson had been included as a back-up bowling option.

``We think that's the best balanced side in these conditions,'' Ponting said. ``This selection was made wholly and solely for this game and for the conditions here.''

Not taking it lightly

Ponting said despite having the series wrapped up, the Australians weren't likely to give struggling Pakistan any break.

``We don't ever see any game as being a dead rubber. It's another opportunity for us to prove ourselves as a team and win another Test match,'' he said. ``At no stage now are we going to take our foot off the accelerator.

``We don't feel they've played well enough to win a game and we don't want to let them in now,'' added Ponting. ``I hope they're competitive. They've been competitive at different times in the first two games but haven't been able to maintain it, and that's been the difference.''

One-day specialist Shahid Afridi has a chance to come into the Pakistan eleven and might add some experience. He's only played 14 Tests (averaging 32.5 and with 21 wickets) but has figured in almost 200 limited-overs internationals.

Besides Akhtar and leg-spinner Danish Kaneria, Pakistan's bowling options include, Mohammad Khalil, who went wicket-less on his debut in Perth, 19-year-old Riaz Afridi, who made his debut against Sri Lanka in October, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, who took three wickets against Sri Lanka in Karachi and untested Mohammad Asif.

"Australia don't take it lightly, and we don't either,'' he said. ``We're trying to win here — I know they're better than us because we have a lot of youngsters and inexperienced players, but we will still try to win this game.''

The teams:

Australia: Ricky Ponting (captain), Justin Langer, Matthew Hayden, Damien Martyn, Michael Clarke, Adam Gilchrist, Shane Watson, Shane Warne, Jason Gillespie, Glenn McGrath, Stuart MacGill. 12th man: Michael Kasprowicz.

Pakistan (from): Yousuf Youhana (captain), Salman Butt, Imran Farhat, Yasir Hameed, Younis Khan, Shaid Afridi, Kamran Akmal, Shoaib Akhtar, Danish Kaneria, Mohammad Khalil, Riaz Afridi, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Mohammad Asif. — AP

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