Brad Haddin sounds off early warning in build up to World Twenty20
Brad Haddin sounds off early warning in build up to World Twenty20In a warning that's hardly surprising, acting Australian captain Brad Haddin has said that his team will go all out to win next month's Twenty20 World Cup, won by India in 2007.
Just back home from the UAE at the end of an exhausting season that lasted 210 days, during which the Australians played 12 Tests, 20 ODIs and six T20s, Haddin said: "The bottom line is that Australia goes away to every tournament hoping to win it."
The team will have two week's rest before it assembles at a camp in Queensland, where they will prepare for the T20 tournament in England and the Ashes series to follow.
"We will prepare now solely for the Twenty20 tournament and I'll be very surprised if our results aren't first-class," Haddin said.
"It's a World Cup event and it's always at the top of the agenda for any Australian cricket team to win a World Cup."
Reminded by the media, upon arrival from Dubai on Saturday, that the team had recently lost to South Africa and thrashed by seven wickets by Pakistan in the T20 match last Thursday, the wicketkeeper batsman replied: "I think it's hard to judge T20 form when you play one-off games at the back end or start of tours... it will be a different story come the World Twenty20."
Rotation policyMeanwhile, in a statement that has a bearing on India's own overworked cricketers, vice-captain Michael Clarke has said that Australia's rotation policy is working well.
"I think we're all becoming much more aware of the impact too much playing and touring can have on players.
"You need individuals performing but you need the team to perform as a unit. Sometimes, it's not just about reputation, it's about a fresh mind.
"Rather than having a tired Ricky Ponting or Mike Hussey or myself, it's better to have someone like Marcus North come in he's a great player.
"We've now got T20, which wasn't around five years ago. We've got IPL and we're now catching up on tours that had been cancelled. I don't know what the right answer is but with all the cricket over the next 12 to 15 months, it's not going to be possible for the same guys to play every single game.
"I think the selectors, CA (Cricket Australia), the coach and the players are all communicating well and that's why we are still doing well when guys are resting."
Ponting, Mitchell Johnson and Mike Hussey were all given leave to return home for rest after the South African tour and Clarke was allowed to leave after captaining the team in the ODIs against Pakistan.
Australian Cricketers Association president Paul Marsh has expressed concern that the value of international cricket could be diminished if elite players cannot physically or mentally cope with an unsustainable schedule.
Clarke said yesterday fatigue was not so much about playing cricket as it is about managing a range of commitments and being away from home for extended periods.
"Don't get me wrong," he told the media, "I love every single minute of it and would never change it.
"And certainly part of being a professional athlete is that you've got to find ways to be successful even when things aren't exactly as you want them to be. But being away does get challenging.
"When you're on the road the public might just see you playing cricket every few days.
"But on the days you are not playing, you still have to train, do media, rehab, recovery... so coming home is a good opportunity to catch up on things.
"It's the little things like sleeping in your own bed and having your own shower, spending time with family and close friends u2013 things that are very important to everyone. An extra four days at home is like gold to me at the moment."
