The Chepauk surface for Australia’s World Cup opener
against India is scheduled to have black soil, which often provides spinners
with greater traction than red soil. In preparation for these circumstances,
India has created place for R Ashwin to return, and he may very likely be
included in the starting lineup on Sunday as a third member of a three-man spin
assault with Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav.
Australia, on the other hand, took a different path.
When it was discovered that Ashton Agar had a calf injury, they were obliged to
go beyond him, but instead of selecting another spinner in his place, they
chose Marnus Labuschagne, leaving them with just one expert slow bowler at this
World Cup: Adam Zampa. For at least the first part of the competition, they
will also have to do without Travis Head’s offbreaks.
“Yeah, I think so,” Cummins said when asked
if Maxwell is capable of bowling eight to ten overs every game. “You know,
again, it’s good that we’ve got plenty of bowling. But yeah, we’ve seen Max –
he’s a frontline spin bowler. In the 2015 World Cup, he was the sole spinner in
basically every single match I think – other than one – so really happy with
how he’s going. I thought he bowed really well in that third ODI against India
[just before the World Cup]. So yeah, we’ve got 20 overs of spin out there if
we need it.
“He is always working on some things, even if
it’s not variations. It’s [about] different fields, different ways you bowl –
and yeah, I think with age and experience as well, you just get a bit more
clever and you need that as a spin bowler. So he’s got an amazing knack of – if
he misses out with the bat – with the ball, and vice versa. He’s always in the
game. So yeah, no doubt expecting a big tournament from Maxi.”