Minnows face cut Lee tips pace from Cup

INTERNATIONAL crick- et chief Haroon Lorgat has stuck to his pledge to cut the World Cup to just 10 teams, reigniting a row with smaller nations who plan to prosper fear for their future. Lorgat’s comments came just before the 10th edition By GREG BUCKLE of the World Cup kicked off in Ahmedabad, India in Dhaka with a clash be- tween Bangladesh and In- dia, joint hosts of the event says Austra- along with . lia’s plan to bowl full A total of 14 teams are in- and fast in the World volved in the showpiece Cup will help take slow event including the Neth- subcontinental pitches out erlands, Ireland, Kenya of the equation. and Canada, but the ICC While the defending wants to cut numbers as it champions are facing has grown unwieldy. heavy scrutiny for their ICC chief executive decision to gamble on a Lorgat said the World pace-led attack in the would be in- PUB: tournament, Lee argued creased to 16 teams from quality fast 12, while the 50-over World would trouble any line-up Cup would be cut to 10.

TNEWS NT in any conditions. ‘‘We have felt in the past Just like few years that Twenty20 is did to Tony Greig in the the best format to develop 1974-75 Ashes series, Aust- the game worldwide and it ralia is going for the sand- provides a better environ- shoe crusher. ment for competition,’’ ‘‘The way the NSW team Lorgat said. bowled over here in the DATE: ‘‘The 50-over format is Champions League (in more skill-based and suit- October 2009) we had a lot able for the top teams.’’ of pace bowlers who did Cricket Kenya chief Tom really well and we actually 20-FEB-2011 Sears said the ICC would won that competition,’’ not be acting in the inter- Australia’s pace spearhead ests of the game if the Lee said in Ahmedabad. smaller teams were ‘‘ I don’t really see any locked out of the next problem with the pace at- World Cup. Canada also tack that we’ve got on low, voiced concerns. slow because at the end of the day it’s still

PAGE: 150km/h through the air.’’ Lee admitted the pitch Akhtar in hot condition could be a ‘‘mass- ive part of the equation’’ in water again 22 terms of how Australia’s pace attack fares in the six- HE has yet to bowl a ball at week tournament in India, COLOR: the World Cup, but Pakis- Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. tan wild child Shoaib Ak- ‘‘But if you’ve got a guy htar is already in hot water. like bowling at The controversial pace- around 160km/h at a bats- man has been put on notice man’s toes, it doesn’t mat- by Pakistan management ter if you’re playing at the C after being fined for WACA or playing here in breaking a midnight cur- M India,’’ Lee said. few after a team dinner ‘‘It’s still hitting the

Y SHE’LL BE RIGHT: Aussie spearhead Brett Lee is extremely confident bowling full and fast will still work well on India’s slow pitches on Thursday. batsman on the foot on It is the latest off-field in- K the full.’’ cident to engulf Akhtar, Australia has picked only who tested positive to the one specialist spinner in its banned drug nandrolone 15-man World Cup squad, Aussies can win, says Holding in 2006. . Lee backed Akhtar and pace col- Krejza to perform well de- MICHAEL Holding has their present ‘‘That series (against (hamstring) was a big blow, league Wahab Riaz were spite having only made his never been shy in dishing it world No. 1 England) was played with- Australia had ‘‘match- fined 3000 Bangladesh ODI debut on February 6 out to Australia on the field ranking. out , who winners’’ in Ponting and Taka ($42) after returning and taking only one and — in recent years — in ‘‘I do believe will, as always, be a vital fig- Michael Clarke. 30 minutes late to the Pak- in the two warm-up games print but the West Indian that Australia ure for them,’’ he added. ‘‘With the ball, they are istan team hotel. against India and South pace great reckons Ricky are still a very, Ponting returned after a also loaded, with Brett Lee, ‘‘We want players to fol- Africa in . Ponting’s men can domi- Michael Holding very good side month out with a broken Shaun Tait and Mitchell low team rules,’’ said Pakis- Lee said he was happy nate this year’s World Cup. and I rank them and India finger to make two half- Johnson attacking from tan official Intikhab Alam. with his own form over the Holding says the defend- as the top two competitors centuries in Australia’s the front,’’ he said. At 35, Akhtar is likely play- past week, including taking ing champions showed in the World Cup,’’ Holding World Cup warm-up losses ‘‘Australia and India are ing his final World Cup and three wickets in the India with their 6-1 one-day in- said in a column in India’s to India and South Africa. my top two teams because Pakistan coach Waqar game where he swung the ternational series win over Daily News and Analysis Holding said while the they have balanced sides Younis admits he has con- new ball. England that they deserve newspaper yesterday. loss of and match-winners.’’ cerns about his spearhead. Blues in command at MCG Bulls claim spoon North belts toothless Tigers NEW South Wales bru- low on, although a leg in- TASMANIA’S hopes of Marcus North and Luke shed aside ’s fight- jury to NSW QUEENSLANDER James Redbacks en- reaching the domestic Ronchi allowed WA to set back to stay in control of means the Hopes wasn’t about to sured Queens- One-Day Cup final re- the visitors a massive tar- the Sheffield Shield cricket Blues might not enforce speak bull: the one-day land came last ceived a massive blow get of 172 off their second match at the MCG. it anyway. wooden spoon stings. in the national with a 66-run loss to West- 25-over stage, or 256 overall, The Bushrangers were Clark only bowled five ‘‘I’m very disappointed, one-day com- ern Australia at Bunbury and it was always going to 8-206 at stumps on day overs immediately after mate . . . it’s a shame,’’ said petition for just yesterday. be a difficult task after the two in reply to the Blues’ lunch at the start of the the Bulls captain after los- the second time A Tigers’ win would have Tigers lost six wickets in first innings 416, with Peter Victorian innings before he ing by 60 runs to South in two decades. booked a spot in the final their first stage. Siddle (one) and Damien hobbled off the field, ap- Australia in the battle to The Redbacks posted today week but to qualify Tasmania were bowled Wright (five) the not-out parently suffering from a avoid finishing bottom in 9-217 and , hav- now they need Victoria to out for just 189 with more batsmen. hamstring injury. yesterday. ing slumped to 4-36 after 20 beat New South Wales in than five overs left. North That left Victoria 60 runs Victoria lost four wickets ‘‘It does sting a bit.’’ overs, never challenged, the last match of the reg- led WA to victory with 100 away from avoiding the fol- in the post-tea session. The failure against the making 9-157 from 45 overs. ular season on Wednesday. off 102 balls. 22 — Sunday Territorian, Sunday, February 20, 2011 www.sundayterritorian.com.au