Former Australian fast bowler, Michael Kasprowicz believes Australia chose the wrong team for the fourth and final Test in Ahmedabad, where the visitors fielded three spinners and only one front-line pace bowler in Mitchell Starc. Kasprowicz, who played 38 Tests and was part of the Australian team that won the 2004-05 series in India, also stated that the team management made a mistake by selecting just a couple of fast bowlers instead of three for the fourth Test.
India reached a huge score of 571 to take a 91-run lead going into Day 5 of the match. While the Test looks headed for a draw, Australia was 171/1 in the morning session, leading India by 80 runs in the final session of the Ahmedabad match.
During a chat with SEN Radio, Michael Kasprowicz said, “I’m going to call it nose and toe. As a fast bowler, if we want to get stuck in, we either try and hit them on the nose or hit them on the toes. The fact that we’ve seen this wicket right now, it’s just a bat-a-thon, we’ll get nothing like the earlier games with the wicket turning square.”
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He further added, “My point is, Australia has picked the wrong team, what they had to do was pick at least three fast bowlers. (We’ve got Cameron Green and Mitchell Starc), but one is an all-rounder and Starc is always good with an older ball.”
Kasprowicz added Australia should have replicated the same template — three pacers and a spinner –, which helped the team achieve a historic series win in 2004-05.
Elaborating the same, Michael Kasprowicz said, “But if we had three fast bowlers plus a spinner — this is the program we went with in India in 2004. The Australian side went in with Glenn McGrath who is the best ever, Jason Gillespie, and myself, we also had Shane Warne who was a pretty hander spinner as well.”
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He further continued, “Over 90 overs a day, the reason I say pick fast bowlers is that they can create something on these flat wickets. They could hit the pitch halfway down, send it up near the nose of the batsman, force him on the back foot to trap him in front for the LBW.”
Former Australian pacer said the potent combination of three fast bowlers and a spinner of the caliber of Warne made Australia one of the best sides during his playing days.
