Kiwis save their best for Australia: Hussey
The ICC Cricket World Cup is well on its way and though I do wish I was there in the middle of all the action, Im wishing the boys all the best from afar. Its just one of those things and the selectors do have the best interests of the team at heart.
- Michael Hussey
- Updated: February 25, 2011 03:00 AM IST
The ICC Cricket World Cup is well on its way and though I do wish I was there in the middle of all the action, I'm wishing the boys all the best from afar. It's just one of those things and the selectors do have the best interests of the team at heart. One would think that it would be hard to see one's younger brother playing but it isn't. Not at all. David has an important role in the side and is playing well, and I'm really happy for him.
Even though they lost the warms-ups and got off to a slow start against Zimbabwe in their first match, I fully believe the team will go far. Australia take their preparations very seriously and one has to remember that it takes some time getting accustomed to the conditions going to India from Australia. I'm confident that they will keep improving as they go along. In the end, against Zimbabwe, there were some pretty good performances especially from the top four batsmen and it was a good result. To their credit, Zimbabwe did bowl and field brilliantly.
The match against New Zealand on Friday is going to be great one. Not only will it be an emotional one in the backdrop of the terrible earthquake in New Zealand, it will also be played for the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy. This is a bit different than having a head to head series but I'm all for it. There has always been a great rivalry between the two sides with this trophy being one of the most hard-fought through the years. It's been shared quite a few times so I hope Australia win it.
Having said that, any match against New Zealand is always a tough one as they tend to do their best against us. Moreover, they will be looking to win to bring some joy back home. Australia will, on the other hand, also be looking forward to putting in a good performance.
Where the Ricky Ponting incident in Nagpur is concerned, one could see his frustration after his dismissal. The dressing room is the one place that we can go to and let emotions pour. It's hard being in the public eye all the time and for us it is a sanctuary. It is unfortunate that something was accidentally damaged but I do empathise with Ricky.
A lot has been said about Australia not being the powerhouse it was during the last decade and a half but I don't feel that's true. If one looks back to 2006, we had a lot of injuries in the ICC Champions Trophy in South Africa but still won! Now, the whole country is behind them watching and hoping, not just for a good performance against New Zealand on Friday but the whole competition. We really don't want to see them back home until after the tournament!