Pak vs Australia at UAE, 2009

[Feed]

Ricky Ponting, Michael Hussey and Mitchell Johnson will bypass the one-day and Twenty20 series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates. More... Star trio give Pakistan series a miss 08/04/2009 12:49 PM Bren O'Brien Ricky Ponting, Michael Hussey and Mitchell Johnson will bypass the one-day and Twenty20 series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates, with coaching and medical staff recommending that the trio be rested ahead of the ICC World Twenty20 and the Ashes series. Michael Clarke will captain the side in Ponting's absence, with Brad Haddin the vice-captain in a youthful side which includes Brett Lee who will be looking to make his comeback from a left foot injury and Shane Watson, who returns after injury cruelled his Australian summer. Lee's progress will be closely monitored while Watson will be unlikely to bowl during the tour. Andrew Symonds also returns to the national side for the first time since the Boxing Day Test, where he injured his knee. The Queensland all-rounder has since not been under consideration for the Australian team pending evaluation of his mental wellbeing. The selection of Lee and Shaun Marsh is subject to fitness, while Ben Hilfenhaus is back after sitting out the one-day and Twenty20 series against South Africa. National Selection Panel chief Andrew Hilditch said that the NSP had acted on recommendation of medical staff in leaving out Johnson, Ponting and Hussey. "The NSP fully supports the recommendation of the coaching and medical staff that Ricky Ponting, Michael Hussey and Mitchell Johnson not participate in the series so that their workload can be managed appropriately in preparation for the forthcoming ICC World Twenty20 and Ashes," he said. "Having Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey in prime form mentally and physically for the Ashes is critical and the series against Pakistan is the only opportunity to give them an appropriate break prior to the start of a very important period." “Mitchell Johnson is now a key bowler in all three forms of the game for Australia and we've also taken this opportunity to provide him with a break before he commences preparation for the World Twenty20 and Ashes." Victorian paceman Peter Siddle is the other notable absentee, having endured a massive workload since making his Test debut in Sydney in January. "Peter Siddle is also not part of the touring squad. An extensive program has been mapped out for Peter in preparation for potential selection in the World Twenty20 and the Ashes. He is seen as a potentially key member of our squad for our defence of the Ashes," he said. "The tour provides a great opportunity for Michael Clarke to captain the side in Ricky's absence. It will allow Michael to hone his captaincy skills while being the captain for a tour and dealing with the numerous media, player and performance issues which arise on tour. This is a challenge that Michael is looking forward to." Hilditch said it was an excellent opportunity to see where Symonds' form was at ahead of the World Twenty20. "Andrew Symonds has been cleared by Cricket Australia to resume playing for the Australian cricket team and he has been included in the squad. At his best Andrew is a dynamic one-day player with an outstanding record for Australia. It will now be up to him to seize this opportunity." Hilditch also defended the selection of Lee, who is yet to prove his fitness, and Watson, who will be not required to bowl unless under exceptional circumstances. "Brett Lee has been included in the squad subject to fitness. His return to bowling at full pace will be monitored carefully and will be reviewed closer to the date of the commencement of the tour," he said. "We have added an additional bowler to the squad to enable us to manage the workload of the fast bowlers and in particular Brett during the tour." "Shane Watson has been picked in the squad as a batter. Depending on his progress, he may be in a position to bowl towards the end of the series. Shane is seen as an important player moving forward in one-day cricket for Australia." Squad: Michael Clarke ©, Brad Haddin (vc), Nathan Bracken, Callum Ferguson, Brett Geeves, Nathan Hauritz, Ben Hilfenhaus, James Hopes, David Hussey, Ben Laughlin, Brett Lee, Shaun Marsh, Andrew Symonds, Shane Watson.

[Feed]

Lee, Symonds into Aussie squad Andrew Symonds, Brett Lee and Shane Watson have all been named in Australia's 14-man squad for the limited overs series in the United Arab Emirates starting April 22. More...

[EnterTheVoid]

mwhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha :D now, thats funny they got their priorities right

[h4te]

Pak vs Australia at UAE, 2009 :hysterical::hysterical::hysterical:

[Feed]

Younis banking on Shoaib, Afridi for success against Australia Pakistan captain Younis Khan is banking heavily on the experienced duo of Shoaib Akhtar and Shahid Afridi to fire in the coming series against Australia. More...

[hassan_113]

God, do we have to rely on these SAME old faces?! Time to rely on Gul, Tanvir, Malik and new young faces with Akhtar being the experienced one. India have shown in Gambhir that the not so famed people performing has a more positive effect on the team. Best thing to do is get the younger guys in and have them ready for the 2011 World Cup

[DomainK]

wow.....rely on the most unreliable. Good luck YK.

[The Outsider]

Rely on Afridi and Akhtar? Might as well invest some money in AIG.

[the_mokc]

my prediction for series odi1-aus win by 6+wickets/100+runs odi2-aus win by 3+wicket/30+runs odi3-aus win by 2+wicket/20+runs odi4-aus win by 8+wicket/150+runs odi5-pak win by 4+wickets/80+runs afridi: 0,12,4,12,34 akhtar(overs):7,6,5,DNP,DNP

[Shehezaada]

Hoping for Akhtar to steam in and get wickets, and for Australia to win.

[DomainK]

Australia's B-team will sweep the series.

[Macj]

These Australians arent even bothered abt the series, apart from one or two references no one in Australia is bothered abt this . Inshallah Australian bhais will steam roll the Paks.

[Feed]

Younis disappointed with omission of Oz star trio Pakistan captain Younis Khan said he was disappointed with Cricket Australia's decision to rest key players for the one-day and Twenty20 series against his team in the United Arab Emirates. More...

[Feed]

Pak vs Aus at UAE : Alam keen on home advantage, Younis says performance matters Pakistan's coach Intikhab Alam may be laying lot of stress on the advantage of having "home" pitches in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, but captain Younis Khan believes it does not decide the outcome of any series. More... Alam keen on home advantage, Younis says performance matters 9 Apr 2009, 1355 hrs IST, PTI KARACHI: Pakistan's coach Intikhab Alam may be laying lot of stress on the advantage of having "home" pitches in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, but captain Younis Khan believes it does not decide the outcome of any series. Alam, who visited the two venues in the Emirates to inspect the pitches and ground conditions, said they were similar to what one found in Pakistan. "The wickets in Dubai and Abu Dhabi have been prepared keeping in mind our own strengths," Alam said on returning home. "We want to retain some kind of home advantage," he added. The Pakistan Cricket Board sent special soil from Nandipur and its curators to help prepare the pitches at both venues one of which the Dubai sports city is hosting an international match for the first time. "I am sure the pitches at both venues will produce high quality cricket as they are good for One-day matches. We expect them to be batting wickets but sporting ones," he said. Younis, however, was blunt in stating that too much was made out of the pitches and home conditions by the media and experts. "I don't think the conditions in Abu Dhabi and Dubai will give us any big advantage over Australia. Nowadays pitches for One-day cricket are more or less the same all over the world," Younis said on the Geo Super sports channel. The skipper said any team had to play to its optimum level and well to win against any team or on any pitch. "Look even if we play badly against Bangladesh we will lose. I don't think pitches or conditions have that much influence on the outcome of a match it is how you play the match that matters the most and to beat the Australians we have to be play at a higher level then our normal levels," Younis said. The captain and coach, however, agree on one thing and that despite the absence of captain, Ricky Ponting, Mike Hussey and the in-form, Mitchell Johnson the Australians remain a formidable side. "The Australians are very professional and they have enough bench strength to overcome the absence of any player," Alam a former Pakistan captain said. Younis also made it clear that he was not expecting miracles from fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar who returns to the side for the important series. "I am not going to put any extra pressure on him and expect him to perform miracles. But I do want him and all the other players to just give their 100 per cent and play with commitment," he said.

[Pak_Forever]

Don't really care about Hussey and Ponting. They aren't having a great time in ODIs. They certainly need rest before Pakistani bowlers further take their batting averages down. Symonds and Watson are equally lethal and much more exciting to watch. M.J. will be missed though, I was really looking forward to see him in action against Pakistan, but well his absence will increase chances for Pakistan to clinch the series. :winky: It's going to be a cracker of a series! Both teams filled with exciting players.

[EnterTheVoid]

Don't really care about Hussey and Ponting. They aren't having a great time in ODIs. They certainly need rest before Pakistani bowlers further take their batting averages down. Symonds and Watson are equally lethal and much more exciting to watch. M.J. will be missed though, I was really looking forward to see him in action against Pakistan, but well his absence will increase chances for Pakistan to clinch the series. :winky: It's going to be a cracker of a series! Both teams filled with exciting players.

:two_thumbs_up: You're one hell of an optimist

[Feed]

Alam plans to exploit Aussies 'weakness' Australia's vulnerability to spin against South Africa has encouraged Pakistan coach Intikhab Alam. More...

[Anakin]

Don't really care about Hussey and Ponting. They aren't having a great time in ODIs. They certainly need rest before Pakistani bowlers further take their batting averages down. Symonds and Watson are equally lethal and much more exciting to watch. M.J. will be missed though, I was really looking forward to see him in action against Pakistan, but well his absence will increase chances for Pakistan to clinch the series. :winky: It's going to be a cracker of a series! Both teams filled with exciting players.

Thanks for the laugh bro

[DomainK]

Pakistan's coach Intikhab Alam may be laying lot of stress on the advantage of having "home" pitches in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, but captain Younis Khan believes it does not decide the outcome of any series. More... Alam keen on home advantage, Younis says performance matters 9 Apr 2009, 1355 hrs IST, PTI KARACHI: Pakistan's coach Intikhab Alam may be laying lot of stress on the advantage of having "home" pitches in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, but captain Younis Khan believes it does not decide the outcome of any series. Alam, who visited the two venues in the Emirates to inspect the pitches and ground conditions, said they were similar to what one found in Pakistan. "The wickets in Dubai and Abu Dhabi have been prepared keeping in mind our own strengths," Alam said on returning home. "We want to retain some kind of home advantage," he added. The Pakistan Cricket Board sent special soil from Nandipur and its curators to help prepare the pitches at both venues one of which the Dubai sports city is hosting an international match for the first time. "I am sure the pitches at both venues will produce high quality cricket as they are good for One-day matches. We expect them to be batting wickets but sporting ones," he said. Younis, however, was blunt in stating that too much was made out of the pitches and home conditions by the media and experts. "I don't think the conditions in Abu Dhabi and Dubai will give us any big advantage over Australia. Nowadays pitches for One-day cricket are more or less the same all over the world," Younis said on the Geo Super sports channel. The skipper said any team had to play to its optimum level and well to win against any team or on any pitch. "Look even if we play badly against Bangladesh we will lose. I don't think pitches or conditions have that much influence on the outcome of a match it is how you play the match that matters the most and to beat the Australians we have to be play at a higher level then our normal levels," Younis said. The captain and coach, however, agree on one thing and that despite the absence of captain, Ricky Ponting, Mike Hussey and the in-form, Mitchell Johnson the Australians remain a formidable side. "The Australians are very professional and they have enough bench strength to overcome the absence of any player," Alam a former Pakistan captain said. Younis also made it clear that he was not expecting miracles from fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar who returns to the side for the important series. "I am not going to put any extra pressure on him and expect him to perform miracles. But I do want him and all the other players to just give their 100 per cent and play with commitment," he said.

Home advantage, huh?

[Anakin]

UAE should be worried if Pak keeps talking about home advantage. That comes with some home disadvantage as well.