Cyclone Marcia clears path for Aussie assault
Brisbane: Australia could unleash pace quartet Mitchell Johnson, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins on Bangladesh in Brisbane on Saturday but wicketkeeper Brad Haddin admits they are at the mercy of Tropical Cyclone Marcia. The Gabba ground is bracing itself for the cyclone to make its forecast way down the Queensland coast, with the anticipated ensuing deluge of rain already putting the match in peril. In a worrying build-up, the Australian team have been forced to hold training sessions indoors while the storm has left the four-time world champions scratching their heads over the potential make-up of their team. “All the weather has done has delayed the naming of the team,” Haddin said on Thursday. “We are not sure what we are going to get when we pull the covers up.” The wild weather has also led to speculation that Cummins will join Starc, Hazlewood and Johnson, who all played in the opening 111-run win over England at Melbourne last weekend, in the starting side against Bangladesh. “Yeah, there is a possibility,” Haddin said. “If there wasn’t any weather around that probably would have been slim.” (PTI)
Beating Aussies not impossible, says Bangladesh star Mushfiqur
Canberra: Bangladesh star batsman Mushfiqur Rahim says beating Australia won’t be impossible after seeing off Afghanistan in their first tilt at this year’s World Cup. The Bangladeshis celebrated a rare win at the tournament with a 105-run victory over the newcomers in Canberra on Wednesday, but now face a steeper challenge against the hosts in Brisbane on Saturday. Mushfiqur was named man of the match in Canberra for his top-scoring 71 off 56 balls in Bangladesh’s innings of 267. While Afghanistan struggled to get anywhere near the target after losing three wickets in the opening three overs, Mushfiqur knows the challenge now awaiting the modestly-performing ninth ODI rated Bangladesh team. “Australia are probably the number one team at the moment the way they are playing, so it’s not going to be easy but it won’t be impossible either,” Mushfiqur told reporters. “In the one day game anyone can win on the day. Ireland beat the West Indies even with a big chase and they did it with 40 balls remaining, so anyone can win in this game. “Obviously, going into the weekend’s match everyone is expecting Australia will win easily, so hopefully we have something to say about that and all the boys are really geared up for that match.” (AFP)
Zimbabwe target Windies now
Nelson: Zimbabwe captain Elton Chigumbura targeted victory over the slumping West Indies on Thursday after a four-wicket triumph against the United Arab Emirates breathed new life into their World Cup campaign. After losing their opener to South Africa, Zimbabwe allowed the UAE to carve out the Middle East nation’s highest one-day international score of 285 before claiming victory with 12 balls to spare at Nelson’s Saxton Oval. “We need to take this momentum into the game against the West Indies,” said Chigumbura, whose side face the men from the Caribbean in Canberra on Monday. “Hopefully we can polish up our fielding and have a good game in all departments.” Chigumbura also praised the depth of his batting line-up, which saw Sean Williams making an undefeated 76 batting at five and Craig Ervine, at seven, hitting 42 at almost a run-a-ball. “I thought the guys played well with the bat. The good thing about our team is we have eight batters so there was no pressure,” the skipper said. “Getting over the line was the most important thing to do and we did it.” (PTI)