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Aussies eye win no. 20 but worried about fielding
Castries (St Lucia), May 20: Australia may be leading the West Indies 2-0 and are zooming in on their 20th consecutive one-day international victory but the perfectionist World Cup champions are fretting over their deteriorating fielding.
Castries (St Lucia), May 20: Australia may be leading the West Indies 2-0 and are zooming in on their 20th consecutive one-day international victory but the perfectionist World Cup champions are fretting over their deteriorating fielding.
Ricky Ponting's Australians beat the West Indies in the weekend double-header in Jamaica and will take a throttle-hold on the seven-game series should they come away with another victory in the third match here tomorrow.
The Australians hammered Brian Lara's team by eight wickets in Sunday's second match at Kingston's Sabina Park, but such are their lofty standards that they were dismayed at putting down three catches in skittling the Windies for 163.
"It was certainly a lot better performance than Saturday's two-run win, although we put down some catches which is becoming a bit of worry," Ponting said after Sunday's triumph.
Australian team coach John Buchanan said: "Obviously, we are dropping a lot of catches at the moment, principally because there is no time to put into our fielding work."
"That was sliding as we were in the Test matches as well. Just because there were not the facilities, and if you put time into your fielding, physically that takes away from the rest of your game, so we have sacrificed that at the moment."
"At some stage, that will hurt us. Whether it hurts us enough to lose a game, we are yet to see."
Batsman Darren Lehmann and all-rounder Ian Harvey were unlikely to play tomorrow, and wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist was expected to rest from the game.
Bureau Report
The Australians hammered Brian Lara's team by eight wickets in Sunday's second match at Kingston's Sabina Park, but such are their lofty standards that they were dismayed at putting down three catches in skittling the Windies for 163.
"It was certainly a lot better performance than Saturday's two-run win, although we put down some catches which is becoming a bit of worry," Ponting said after Sunday's triumph.
Australian team coach John Buchanan said: "Obviously, we are dropping a lot of catches at the moment, principally because there is no time to put into our fielding work."
"That was sliding as we were in the Test matches as well. Just because there were not the facilities, and if you put time into your fielding, physically that takes away from the rest of your game, so we have sacrificed that at the moment."
"At some stage, that will hurt us. Whether it hurts us enough to lose a game, we are yet to see."
Batsman Darren Lehmann and all-rounder Ian Harvey were unlikely to play tomorrow, and wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist was expected to rest from the game.
Bureau Report