Champions Trophy: Smith braces for spin test

DUBAI: Australia captain Steve Smith indicated a larger role for spinners on a dry pitch here, and said his side’s fortunes in the Champions Trophy semifinal on Tuesday depend on how they negate the Indian slow bowlers.

India employed four spinners against New Zealand in its final Group A match here on Sunday, and choked a capable Kiwis batting unit to register a 44-run win.

“I think not just Chakravarthy, I think the rest of their spin has quality as well. So I think for us, the game is probably how we play their spin. Yeah, it’s going to be a challenge,” Smith said on Monday, on the eve of the last-four match against India.

“I think there’s going to be some spin and we’ve got to counter that. We’ll see how we do that tomorrow (Tuesday). We’ve got a few options on how we can go about it,” he added.

In that context, Smith hoped that opener Travis Head, India’s Voodoo man in knockout matches, will fire once again against his favourite opponents.

“There’s pressure every time you play in a big game. But as we know, Travis has stood up in many of those in the past. You know, he looked in great touch the other night against Afghanistan.

“I’m sure he’s going to be looking to come out here and play the same way he’s played for a long time with good intent, good aggression. Hopefully, he can get away in that power play and get results from that.”