Cricket World Cup: India no place for pace warns Ravi Shastri

Just two members of the Australian squad are automatic selections at this World Cup, with Indian legend Ravi Shastri warning that conditions will force selectors to make tough calls.

Australia may be best served omitting captain Pat Cummins from its XI at times during the World Cup according to Indian great Ravi Shastri, who has encouraged the Aussies to play only two specialist pacemen most of the time during the tournament.

The 50-over spectacular begins in Ahmedabad on Thursday night (Australian time) with a rematch of the epic 2019 final between England and New Zealand.

Shastri, part of the 1983 World Cup winning side and a former coach of the Indian men’s team, said he was expecting pitches during the event would primarily favour batting, and that there would be particularly little on offer for pacemen at venues in the south of India.

These include Chennai, where Australia begins its campaign against the hosts on Sunday.

With leg-spinner Adam Zampa and off-spinning all-rounder Glenn Maxwell appearing automatic selections, the Aussies must decide whether to load up with all three of frontline quicks Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, leave out one of all-rounders Cameron Green and Marcus Stoinis, or stack the side with extra seaming options by squeezing out Marnus Labuschagne.

(L-R) Selectors may have to choose between the likes of (L-R) Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc. Picture: Getty Images

Cummins and Starc have been restricted in their World Cup preparation due to injury although left-armer Starc has a fearsome World Cup record and has found touch on the eve of the tournament, taking a hat-trick against the Netherlands in a warm-up game on the weekend.

Hazlewood has meanwhile established himself as a white-ball weapon in recent years and is ranked No. 2 on the ICC’s one-day bowling charts.

Shastri said Starc and Cummins would be his top two Australian pace seeds, but said that at some stage during the event the skipper, who took over the 50-over leadership last year, may need to be left out.

“That’s a really tough one. Because of Starc’s ability to reverse it, bowl at the death, bowl with the new ball. So I would say Cummins, Starc will play and then see how the tournament goes,” Shastri told this masthead.

“See how the tournament goes and leave that option open. You want to be flexible. If push comes to shove, if that’s the scenario, you know, they might just have to do that (leave out Cummins).

Leg spinner Adam Zampa is an automatic selection in India. Picture: Getty Images

“I mean, there’s a wealth of talent there. It’s a headache picking that side you know, but it’s probably a better Australian side than, I think five years ago, and the last World Cup. It’s a stronger side because of the number of all-rounders you have, you know, the number of options that are available to you.

“Cam Green has come to the fore, there’s Stoinis, Mitch Marsh who’s done extremely well and can be used anywhere in the batting order. So it’s a very, very dangerous team. You’ve got a lot of options, a lot of experience and a lot of heavy hitters.

“I think you have the all-round options. Maybe two fast bowlers most of the time in India, and then obviously, you go towards the spinner Zampa. In India I think he’ll be a very, very important member of the Australian side.”

Shastri, speaking ahead of the World Cup as a Fox Cricket ambassador, said he expected the pitches at Australia’s early-tournament venues to take some turn.

“You go up north into Dharamsala…you’ll get the other kind of tracks where there’ll be more there for the faster bowlers as you move up and up.

“But in Central India, Southern India, I think you’d get some tracks that might just help the spinners. But good batting tracks. I imagine you know, everywhere around the country for the World Cup good batting tracks where you should get 280.”

Originally published as Cricket World Cup: India no place for pace warns Ravi Shastri