Clarke debate no problem for Johnson
Brisbane: Australia’s Mitchell Johnson said Tuesday the ongoing speculation about captain Michael Clarke’s fitness was not proving a distraction for the World Cup favourites. Clarke’s hamstring injury meant he was sidelined as co-hosts Australia launched their bid for a fifth World Cup title with an emphatic 111-run thrashing of arch-rivals England in Melbourne on Saturday. However, it is expected Clarke will be fit enough to return for Australia’s second Pool B match against Bangladesh in Brisbane this coming Saturday following an encouraging display during last week’s practice match against the United Arab Emirates. Stand-in skipper George Bailey, long tipped to make way for Clarke, did his best to make life awkward for Australia’s selectors by making a useful fifty against England. But fast bowler Johnson said he’d be delighted to see Clarke back in the side, although he did not know which player would make way for the star batsman. “I love the captaincy that he (Clarke) brings,” Johnson said. “He has got so much experience and George does as well. “But Michael Clarke has been the captain for a number of years now. I know he has the boys’ full support.” (AFP)
England ‘over’ Australia loss: Ali
Wellington: Moeen Ali insisted Tuesday that England were “over” a crushing defeat by title-favourites Australia in their opening match of the World Cup. England were thumped by 111 runs in Melbourne on Saturday in a game where little went right for them from the moment they dropped Australia century-maker Aaron Finch off the fifth ball of the match. “Obviously we were disappointed after the result, but we are over it now,” said England opener Ali, whose side now face another stiff Pool A challenge when they face New Zealand, the other host nation, in Wellington on Friday. “We know we have to move on. The next game is very, very important for us,” said Ali. “Individually, everybody has done their own little bit. We have had a couple of days off and then we analyse it together and go from there.” Ali said there was still plenty of time for England to recover and book their place in the quarter-finals. “We have so much to play for,” he said. “It was just one game. The World Cup is not decided over one game. It is a long period of time. There’s a long way to go.” All 14 teams will play six first-round matches, with the top four from each of the two pools qualifying for the quarter-finals. (AFP)
Moin, Waqar sidelining Misbah the captain, alleges Hafeez
Karachi: Former Pakistan captain and experienced all-rounder Muhammad Hafeez has triggered off a debate over whether the national team was facing internal problems and issues in the ongoing cricket World Cup. Hafeez since being sent back home from Australia by the national team management due to an injury has interacted with the media on several occasion and every time he has had something to say, which suggests that chief selector Moin Khan and head coach Waqar Younis are calling the shots in the Pakistan team and not captain, Misbah-ul-Haq. “I don’t know what is Hafeez’s agenda but the Pakistan Cricket Board needs to speak to him and find out whether there are any problems within the team and Misbah is being sidelined,” former Test pacer Jalaluddin said. Pakistan’s former paceman Tanvir Ahmed also added credence to speculations that Hafeez was sent home and not allowed to stay with the team to recover from his injury after he had a run in with Waqar over training schedules. According to sources Hafeez had questioned Waqar’s training methods for the players and felt he was exhausting them before actual matches after which both of them had an argument in Sydney. Tanvir appearing on the Geo Super channel confirmed that even when he was playing in 2010/11 there had been problems with Waqar’s training methods specially before matches. (PTI)
Holding slams ‘pathetic’ West Indies
Sydney: West Indies great Michael Holding has slammed the side’s four-wicket loss to Ireland in their World Cup opener as a “little bit pathetic”. The Caribbean team collapsed to 87 for five in Nelson on Monday before Lendl Simmons (102) and Darren Sammy (89) guided them to a total of 304 for seven. But as far as fast bowling legend Holding and many other observers were concerned that was merely a “par score”. Certainly it was one Ireland, defeating a Test side for the third successive World Cup, had few problems chasing down as they made 307 for six with 25 balls to spare at Saxton Oval. “It was a little bit pathetic to be honest,” said Holding. “I’ve been saying since this World Cup started that 300 on a good pitch here in New Zealand or Australia is just a par score, irrespective of who you’re playing against,” he added. “The West Indies, I do not understand how they could ever think that just over 300 runs that they would just automatically win,” insisted Holding, a member of the West Indies side that won the 1979 World Cup final. Holding said an inability to adjust to match circumstances had hurt the West Indies. “They cannot take things for granted,” the 61-year-old Jamaican told Wisden India. “You should be able to think for yourself, ‘OK we got a reasonable score but we still have a fight on our hands and we still have to go out there and perform.'” (AFP)