Could Australia drop their match-winner from West Indies win for India clash? Nathan Coulter-Nile fears so

Despite a man-of-the match performance with the bat in Australia’s gutsy win over West Indies, Nathan Coulter-Nile believes his chances of facing India next up are in serious doubt.

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Nathan Coulter-Nile fears he will go from man-of-the-match to carrying the drinks in just three days after a wicket-less start to his maiden World Cup.

Coulter-Nile credited recurrent stress fractures in his back for his improved batting, with those bowling injuries forcing him to work on his power hitting over the past few years.

Nathan Coulter-Nile top-scored for Australia in their gutsy win over West Indies.

West Australian Liam Davis has emerged as the secret weapon behind Coulter-Nile’s breakout 92 (60) that rescued Australia after an embarrassing top-order collapse against the West Indies.

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“I was working really hard on the red-ball stuff, trying to get in, and (Davis) just said ‘Scrap

that, we’re not playing red-ball cricket anymore’ and we just hit balls,” Coulter-Nile said.

“I just try to hit balls for six. That’s all I’ve been doing for the last year.

“In all honesty I owe him everything for my batting.”

Coulter-Nile, Steve Smith and Alex Carey combined to take Australia to a competitive score.

But Coulter-Nile — who set a new record for runs made by a player entering at No. 8 or lower in a World Cup — said he was in the team to take wickets and that left him concerned after leaking 0/70.

A tired Coulter-Nile conceded 16 runs off the final four balls of the innings when victory was assured for Australia.

“We’ve got world-class bowlers waiting to play (Kane Richardson, Nathan Lyon and Jason Behrendorff),” Coulter-Nile said.

Coulter-Nile was the only Australian to clear the ropes.

“I’m not in the team to make runs; hopefully the top order does that, so I wouldn’t be surprised if I got dropped for the next game.

“I’m in the team to take wickets and I’ve had two wicket-less games (0/36 against Afghanistan), so we’ll see how we go.”

The No. 8 joined Steve Smith at the crease in the 31st over after a barrage of fiery short balls rattled the Aussies.

But it was the powerful fast bowler who upstaged Smith, putting on 65 runs in their century stand as Coulter-Nile bettered his previous highest score by 58.

While Coulter-Nile never pondered a maiden century, he remembered looking up at the scoreboard when in the 80s and thinking, “Geez, that’s a lot of runs”.

Coulter-Nile looked scratchy early but survived and then looked superb.

He was the only Aussie to clear the short boundaries, doing so four times.

The West Australian broke his bat shortly before holing out and was reluctant to change it.

“It was a pull shot off (Sheldon) Cottrell, it actually hit the middle but split down the bottom,” he said.