After the battering at the first test against Australia in Brisbane, the West Indies are gearing up to fight back the home side, both on and off field. The latest was fired by the Windies skipper, Chris Gayle who admitted that playing Nathan Hauritz was “like I’m facing up to myself”. He went on to say that Hauritz does not turn the ball too much an extent and also commented upon the possibilities of inclusion of the spinner in the playing team.
The two teams are scheduled to face each other at the WACA (Western Australian Cricket Association) ground on 16th December, 2009. Gayle said to have commented on the matter as the WACA pitch has wore down over the past few years and has lost some of its pace. “I hear the Aussies look like they are going to play Nathan Hauritz here in Perth. At the moment when Hauritz is bowling to me, it’s like I’m bowling to myself. He really doesn’t turn the ball too much that is for sure. Occasionally he might get the odd one to spin,” Gayle reported to the Herald Sun.
The spinner in question, Hauritz, has nonetheless sought advice of former test player, Greg Matthews, known for his spin tactics. He has no doubt that it is going to be tough to spin a delivery on an unfriendly pitch. His performance in test matches has not been up to the mark but Hauritz has played fairly well in one-day internationals. Hauritz was one of the leading wicket takers in the first test as he took 3 dismissals with a 2.83 economy. The second test, which was drawn, saw him send back 2 opponents over a span of 12 overs.
Hauritz knows he has got to improve upon his performance this week at the third test. The Adelaide pitch is known to have always been in support of the spinners and Hauritz admits to have disappointed himself. Australia has yet not recovered from the last experiment with Jason Krejza at Perth in their losing battle against South Africa. The off-spinner gave out 204 runs from his bowling span while capturing only a single dismissal. Krejza never made it to the team again, and Hauritz knows that this pitch comes down hard on spinners.
“Jason was against a very good batting attack and the wicket wasn’t that receptive for spin. It can be a very tough place to bowl, I guess anywhere is tough if you are not bowling well,” Hauritz commented upon the matter about Krejza. Hauritz hardly has got an experience playing first-class matches at Perth, making this a very rare occasion and betting upon the situation, the spinner could be facing his toughest target yet.
However, the Aussie is confident of cracking the nut, “I’m just going to try to use the drift and the bounce and try and create pressure that way.” He is working on his doosra and believes that will be the key to his success. “I’ve been doing a lot of work on it (the doosra). I tried it in Adelaide, but no one would have seen it - so that’s how well it’s going. We’ll have to wait and see if I can land it a bit better here,” said Hauritz.