COLOMBO, Sept 23 AAP - Australia's batsmen will approach the 'Premadasa
Predator' with extreme caution when they take on Sri Lanka in the
Champions Trophy cricket semifinal here on Friday.
Sri Lanka's off-spin genius Muttiah Muralitharan has been absolutely
deadly at the semifinal venue, R Premadasa Stadium.
Over the past three years he's played 17 matches there, taking 38
wickets at an average of 14.39 and conceding only 3.34 runs per over.
His skill is the primary reason Sri Lanka has won 14 of its past 17
games at the ground, making it something of a fortress for the home
side.
Australian coach John Buchanan said tackling Muralitharan head on was
difficult and it was better to dominate the other bowlers and then try
to reduce the champion spinner's impact on the game.
"I think all the batsmen are fairly certain of the way they'd like to
play him but it will be the state of the game that dictates how much he
gets into the game," Buchanan said.
Buchanan added the way Australia dealt with the threat of New Zealand's
Daniel Vettori should be replicated against Muralitharan, with Australia
blasting off to a good start and holding firm when Muralitharan comes
into the attack.
Vettori was by far the Kiwis' best bowler in Australia's opening game
here, taking 1-25 off 10 overs.
"The players that were in when Vettori was bowling played the game the
right way," Buchanan said.
"They were able to eke runs from him without taking undue risks because
the platform had already been set and we weren't under stress to either
retain wickets or accelerate the scoring rate.
"If we can produce a similar sort of effort in this game then Murali
comes in on our terms not his terms ... he doesn't pose the same sort of
threat provided we approach him in a similar vein to Vettori, where
we're happy to take ones and twos and keep him well and truly out of the
game.
"But if Murali's allowed to get into the game on his terms - when we're
behind on the run rate and down on wickets - then he becomes a much more
potent force."
Buchanan, who has been enjoying a break from coaching while his players
take a holiday in the Maldives, said Sri Lanka would give Australia a
good indication of how things were going in terms of planning for the
World Cup.
So far on this tour, Australia has been in scintillating form and
Buchanan said that could continue as long as key players - namely
Matthew Hayden, Shane Watson and Brett Lee - kept performing as they had
to date.
Hayden's stunning form helps Australia make strong starts while Watson
is growing into a top-notch all-rounder and Lee has learned how to
control his pace in order to restrict runs - all of which has helped
solidify the Australian outfit.
"There's a lot of good signs that things are moving in the right
direction ... on their day this is a very, very talented side," Buchanan
said.
"If everything comes together in one effort other teams will find it
very difficult to deal with.
"But I sense at the moment we haven't been totally tested and we'll find
that out against Sri Lanka on Friday night."