We are on a roll: Doherty
First Published : 11 Feb 2012, 12:32
Last Modified : 11 Feb 2012, 12:32
Perth, 11 Feb: Australia have made it two wins out of two in the CB Series after defeating Sri Lanka by five runs in Perth on Friday. The hosts now get ready to face India in a crunch match for the visitors in Adelaide. Spinner Xavier Doherty impressed with his restrictive line and length against the Lankans and aims to continue in the same vein in the forthcoming matches.
The 29-year-old hoped his good ODI form would give him another shot at Test cricket when he addressed the media during a pre-match conference.
Excerpts:
On the likelihood of Mitchell Marsh, as against Peter Forrest, getting an opportunity against India
It will be a good opportunity for either one of those two guys. I think we are playing some pretty good cricket at the moment; it’ll be tough to change that winning lineup but it will be a good opportunity for one of those two to come in and make an impact. India will be pretty keen to knock us off after we beat them at the MCG last week.
On bowling at the WACA
I think it’s a great place to bowl, the times I’ve played in domestic cricket—getting that extra bounce, particularly against some of the subcontinent teams, is a real advantage. I loved bowling there last night [against Sri Lanka].
On bowling at the Adelaide Oval
Adelaide is once again a great place for spinners to bowl. [You need to] keep it nice and straight and obviously there is enough assistance in the wicket to help it spin.
On his current form
I am not thinking about the [Test call] at the moment. Ideally, I’d like to get back in there. Nathan Lyon has done a great job since he has been there. He’s going to be a tough one to sort of move out of there.
On how he has changed as a bowler
I haven’t changed too much. I guess as a spin bowler you are banking on experiences and really working hard on your game. I am just concentrating on what I can do right now.
On the CB Series
I think we are playing some really good cricket no matter who we are playing against. I think all summer we’ve got ourselves on a bit of a roll, we are preparing well. We are going into games, whatever the opposition, knowing that we are going to put up a pretty good fight.
On Sri Lanka and India
If you look at the Indian team, they’ve got a pretty solid batting line-up with quite a few key players in that list. It’s pretty hard to split them.
On the tough competition for places in Australian cricket
I think that’s the great thing about Australian cricket–there’s always guys who want to take your spot. I think that pressure is always going to be there and that’s a good thing for me. I really enjoyed my time captaining Tasmania Hurricanes; it was great for my cricket to be really under the pump for the entire 40 overs.
