Australia’s pace spearhead Glenn McGrath will be rested for Friday’s Super Series limited-overs international, giving the World XI additional hope of levelling the three-match contest.
McGrath complained of tightness in the legs after his seven-over opening spell on Wednesday returned 2-13 and had the World XI reeling at 50-3 chasing 256 to win.
Top-ranked Australia beat the World XI by 93 runs at Melbourne’s Docklands stadium in its first hit out since its upset loss to England in the Ashes series last month.
But McGrath’s absence is a blow for Australia’s chances of wrapping up the series ahead of Sunday’s final match.
He’ll be replaced by Stuart Clark — who was twice drafted into the Ashes squad as cover for McGrath without playing in England — in the only change to Australia’s squad for game two.
McGrath was voted man-of-the-match in Australia’s win in the Ashes opener at Lord’s in July, then was sidelined for the second and fourth tests because of injuries.
Australia lost both those matches and surrendered the Ashes for the first time in 18 years.
A Cricket Australia spokesperson on Thursday said McGrath’s problem wasn’t serious and was more a case of managing the 35-year-old fast bowler’s programme so he’s fit for Sunday and for the Test starting on October 14.
It leaves Australia with two rookies — 30-year-old Clark and 22-year-old legspinner Cameron White — and Nathan Bracken, with only 18 one-day internationals to his credit, in the 12-man squad for game two.
Combining to get some revenge on Australia is foremost in the minds of the World XI, which must win on Friday to keep the limited-overs series alive.
The credibility of the series — the top team in cricket versus the top players from the rest of the world — depends on it, New Zealand spin bowler Daniel Vettori concedes.
”We try not to think about those things, but we realise how important it is that we put up a much improved performance,” he said.
Australia started the series under a cloud of vulnerability after the Ashes.
Now all the pressure is on Shaun Pollock’s World combination, which contains players like England’s Ashes star Andrew Flintoff, West Indies batsman Brian Lara and Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan.
Vettori took a match-best 4-33 on Wednesday, combining with Muralitharan to check Australia’s rapid-fire start. The World XI batsmen collapsed to be all out for 162 chasing 256 to win.
Vettori said his figures reflected his attitude to the game.
”There was immense desire in our team to win — the only reason we’re here is to win,” Vettori said. ”There’s a lot of us who’ve been on the receiving end of hidings from Australia in the past — this is our chance to put that right.”
Vettori said the World XI had to work together to overcome some confusion in the batting order.
”Maybe we tried to win the game too early. With such a star-studded batting lineup, guys are used to taking responsibility on themselves to win the game,” he said. But, ”with so many good batsmen, you can take your time a little bit more and build
partnerships — that’s what wins most cricket games.
”Whilst we’ve all had our individual success, a majority of teams win games because they play as a team. That’s what Australia did — We have to match that if we want to challenge.”
The World XI bolstered its already heavy batting lineup by calling in West Indies’ left-hander Chris Gayle for Pakistan allrounder Shahid Afridi — the super sub on Wednesday — in the only change to the 12. Gayle was drafted into the original 14-man squad last month when India’s Sachin Tendulkar withdrew.
Australian opener Simon Katich, who top scored with 58 and shared an 80-run opening stand with Adam Gilchrist (45) in game one, said winning the series-opener was like releasing a pressure valve following the public backlash from the Ashes.
”Even though it’s a different version of the game, it’s nice to get off to a good start against what is a very talented side,” he said. ”I’m sure they’ll come back hard.” – Sapa-AP