it wasn't a surprise to see NSW Blues cement a place in the last four of the inaugural Champions League Twenty20
With three of the six specialist bowlers for Australia's seven-ODI series starting in India next week hailing from New South Wales, it wasn't a surprise to see NSW Blues cement a place in the last four of the inaugural Champions League Twenty20.
While a fit-again Brett Lee, spearhead of the Aussie and NSW attack, has quite a bit of experience of playing in Indian conditions, the other two Blues who will wear the yellows next week left-arm pacer Doug Bollinger and off-spinner Nathan Hauritz haven't played in the Indian conditions too much in the past. As a result, the duo couldn't have asked for a better way to prepare for the crucial series than playing in the CLT20.
"It is a perfect platform for some of the Aussie boys before the ODI series to fine tune certain areas. They have been playing here for nearly three weeks and that will definitely give them an additional advantage over some of the other Australian players. It has made them aware of the conditions here, and of course, some of them have already played here, so I think it has helped to refresh their memory a bit," NSW coach Matthew Mott said ahead of the team's departure to New Delhi for their semi-final.
Though Bollinger was in India for more than two months last year, he didn't get a look in, in Australia's Test side in any of the four Tests and the preceding series for Australia A had been marred by rain.
Hauritz too doesn't have an impressive record in India. Despite making his Test debut in Mumbai, the offie didn't make the cut for any of Australia's next three assignments in India since then.
Despite the odds stacked up against them, Mott believes both the bowlers can succeed given an opportunity.
"Doug certainly is a player who is improving all the time. He has good pace, has the ability to swing the ball at the top, so he can give real impetus to the innings at the start," Mott, who was the Kolkata Knight Riders' assistance coach for the first two seasons, said.
"Nathan is a developing bowler as well. He has received a bit of stick recently in international cricket, but he has been improving immensely. And he has been our main bowler in one-dayers. So I am looking forward to a good show by both of them," Mott said.
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