Four bowlers can do job for Aussies, says Gilchrist

BRISBANE (Australia)—Vice-captain Adam Gilchrist is confident Australia’s balance of four bowlers will be successful again following Shane Watson’s injury withdrawal from Thursday’s first Ashes Test against England at the Gabba.
Fifth-bowler Watson late Tuesday conceded defeat and pulled out of the Australian team for the opening match of the series after tweaking his hamstring while bowling in a domestic one-dayer last Friday.
Specialist batsman Michael Clarke has replaced the all-rounder at No.6, and Gilchrist sees no problems with Australia reverting to the bowling formula which has kept the team on top of world cricket for 15 years. Gilchrist said he felt confident going into the Gabba Test with three pace bowlers and a spinner. “We’ve had that balance for many years and I guess why there is a focus on that is because we now have another option with Shane Watson, it creates another bowling option,” Gilchrist told reporters Tuesday.
“It doesn’t necessarily mean that any captain has to use that bowling option, but having captained a few teams it’s nice you can look around the field and know you’ve got other guys you can draw on if you want to use them.
“We shouldn’t forget that Shane Watson averages 50 in first class cricket and is starting to forge his way as a top-four batsman so he’s really justifying his selection in the squad.
“But if we do go with four bowlers, three quicks and a spinner, that’s been very successful for us for a long time, particularly in Australian conditions.”
Gilchrist said that, from his first observation, the Gabba wicket is not as green as usual. The wicket has the reputation of favouring fast bowlers with pace and bounce, but Gilchrist said the toss may not be so important in the opening game.
“I haven’t been out to the middle yet, but looking at it from a long way away, the thing that jumped out is that it doesn’t look as green as what it might normally be two days out from a Test,” he said. “Often you can come to the Gabba and try and pick which wicket you’re going to play on and then on game day it looks in pristine condition.
“But my first observation is that it doesn’t look quite as green as normal, but I reckon the wicket is going to be a beauty and from my experience it’s just a fantastic consistent cricket wicket.
“The toss isn’t of vital importance, whatever you do first you’ve got to try and do it well, but if that means you bat first on a bit of a green wicket then you just have to try and ride it out and get as many as you can”.—Agencies