CLT20: Bowling has been our strength, says Hurricanes coach Damien Wright

Mohali: Looking to seal a berth in the semi-finals, Hobart Hurricanes bowling coach Damien Wright said that they will be relying on their pace and spin battery when they take on Barbados Tridents in a Group A Oppo Champions League Twenty20 match, here on Sunday.

The Tim Paine-led, which packed Northern Knights for a paltry 92 in their 86-run victory on Tuesday - their third win in two matches, will start as favourites when they take on the winless Barbados Tridents. Wright said that bowling will be key.

"Bowling has been our strength and we showed that in our last game. In our first match (which they lost to KXIP) here we had an off game with the ball but we bounced back against the Cape Cobras and against the Northern Knights," Wright told reporters here.

Wright also said that new-ball bowlers Ben Hilfenhaus and Doug Bollinger have given teeth to the attack.

"They are the two senior bowlers in our team and they have had a lot of success over here playing in the IPL and playing for Australia. They are the leading wicket-takers in our team?we are very happy with our bowling lineup. We have also got Xavier Doherty who has played a lot of cricket internationally and in India as well. At the moment I hope that most teams around are fearing our bowling attack," he said.

Asked if there would be pressure on the team in tomorrow's game as they need a win to advance to the next level, he said, "In Twenty20 cricket there is always pressure. We have to make sure that we continue to play very good cricket allround. Our batting and bowling is going particularly well and our fielding has been pretty good as well. At the moment we have played some good cricket and we are going to continue that."

Wright also said the team's batting was going well.

"In terms of our batting against their (Tridents) bowling, I think our batting is going well. I think Aiden Blizzard and Shoaib Malik are playing particularly well.

We probably need better starts. I have been critical of the starts. We have lacked them. One of our openers has been able to get good starts but I would like to see both of them doing well in this game," Wright added.

With Tridents' Jonathan Carter hitting 111 against the

Cobras here yesterday, Wright praised the innings played by the West Indian and said they will come out with a really good plan against him.

He further said that Tridents are a very aggressive team and have had two close matches.

"We are hoping that our bowling lineup stacks up pretty well against their batting and we hope to restrict them to a lower total than what they have had in their previous two games," he said.

The Hurricanes have other star players in their side including Paine, Shoaib Malik, besides Ben Dunk, Xavier Doherty and Cameron Boyce, making it a balanced side.

Meanwhile, desperate to salvage a win in the competition, the Tridents slogged hard in the nets here today.

Watched over by their legendary coach, Desmond Haynes, the team spend a good three hours in the hot afternoon sun at the PCA stadium.

The coach was keenly observing the players during the practice session and giving tips to them.