Fast bowlers James Pattinson and Ben Hilfenhaus could find getting back into the Australian one-day side tough according to captain Shane Watson.
The pair were both ruled out of Friday’s opening one-day international against the West Indies in St Vincent but were hardly missed as Australia claimed a 64-run win, largely thanks to the bowlers available.
Spinner Xavier Doherty took 4-49 while Clint McKay and Dan Christian snared two wickets each as the home team was rolled for just 140 chasing Australia’s 8-204, losing six wickets for seven runs at one stage in a remarkable collapse.
Watson said it would be hard to change a winning formula for Sunday’s second match at the same venue, particularly with runs at a premium at the Arnos Vale Cricket Ground.
“It’s going to be tough to change a winning team but I suppose it’s shown on this wicket as well that … batting depth is going to be pretty important,” Watson told AAP after the match.
“I think having that batting depth is going to give us that extra edge when we need it because we know through those middle periods it’s going to be pretty difficult to score, especially with the quality of their spin bowlers.”
Pattinson has told AAP he feels he’s over the buttock muscle strain which kept him out of the first match while Hilfenhaus was a late scratching due to a virus but is expected to be fit for Sunday’s clash.
While neither may find a way back into the side, Doherty appears a certainty after he recovered from being smashed for 18 runs off his first over to rip through the Windies batting line-up.
“He’s just developed his cricket over the last five or six years and now he’s got a number of different gameplans that he can go to depending on the situation of the game,” Watson said of the Tasmanian.
“He really is a pleasure to captain because he really knows exactly what he’s trying to do. If things don’t go exactly right he’s always got another way to try and find a way to be successful like he did today.”
Doherty’s state captain George Bailey was named man of the match for his patient 48 on debut, the highest score of the game.
Watson said having a 29-year-old with so much experience debuting in his team was a massive bonus and the Australian Twenty20 skipper was set for a long international career.
“He’s a great leader around the group as well,” Watson said.
“I can only continue to see great things for George Bailey.”
Australia will complete a light optional training session on Saturday with Sunday’s second one-day international to begin from 9.30am (0030 Mon AEDT).
The victory means Australia are guaranteed No.1 spot on the ODI rankings on April 1, resulting in a $US175,000 ($A167,000) bonus from the International Cricket Council.
Australia have 127 ODI ratings points and cannot drop behind second-ranked South Africa, even if they lose the remaining four ODIs of the current series.
