Australian captain Michael Clarke wants his quicks to channel their inner Dennis Lillee when they take the field for their one-day international (ODI) series against Pakistan starting on Tuesday in Sharjah.
In hot and humid conditions in their ODI clash with Afghanistan in Sharjah last weekend, Clarke’s bowlers found it difficult to control the ball because of constant sweating.
So in the tradition of Wimbledon winner Pat Cash’s 1980s sweatbands and the great pace spearhead Lillee’s old headwear in his glory days, Clarke says it’s time to get back to the future.
“Probably the most important thing for us is when bowling second, realise how much you’re sweating,” said Clarke, who added his players felt fatigued after their 66-run win over Afghanistan.
“So we’ll combat that with guys wearing sweatbands, make sure there’s towels, to be able to hang onto the ball.”
Mitchell Starc, who took 4-47 and gained plenty of swing with his left-armers, says he was taken aback by the muggy conditions.
“I don’t think we thought too much about the humidity. We thought it was going to be a dry heat,” Starc said.
“As we’ve seen, it’s more the sweat factor that is going to play a part and the dew as well.
“Both balls towards the end were quite hard to hold onto. You wipe yourself down with a towel and you’re already sweating again.
“In the end, the bowlers did quite well to control that ball.”
Australia’s pacemen Starc, James Pattinson and Mitchell Johnson claimed nine wickets against Afghanistan, with Xavier Doherty taking 1-34.
Clarke admits Pakistan’s spin attack, led by ICC ODI player of the year award nominees Saeed Ajmal, Shahid Afridi and Mohammad Hafeez, is a threat to his team’s chances.
“Whoever bowls spin the best and whoever plays spin the best will win the series,” Clarke said.
“Whether it is attacking or defending, the way our spinners bowl is going to be crucial to us having success. It doesn’t mean they take all the wickets, as we’ve seen.
“The Australian way is, for a long time, fast bowlers have had success all around the world. I see this series being no different but I do believe our spinners are going to play a huge part in us taking 10 wickets in every game.”
While Australia have slipped to fourth in the ODI rankings, Pakistan are two places lower.
“Pakistan are a lot like Australia in the fact they’ve got a lot of talent. It’s just about performing consistently,” Clarke said of the side coached by ex-Australian Test batsman Dav Whatmore.
Pakistan have won their past eight ODI matches in Sharjah, where they’ve hosted games because of security problems back home.
