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 Middle-order may post a good total: Buchanan - Scorecard
Chennai, Oct 16: Australia might have their backs to the wall in the second cricket Test but coach John Buchanan today pinned hopes on his middle-order bastmen to post "a good total" and put India under pressure in the fourth innings.
"We got six wickets. Importantly, we still got three quality batsmen. We are very hopeful with these three players we could make the kind of total to trouble India in the fourth innings," Buchanan said. Australia were 150 for four at close on the third day, leading by just nine runs with Damien Martyn, Darren Lehmann and Michael Clarke being the only three recognised batsmen at hand.
Asked to specify what would be a safe fourth innings total, he said: "Very hard to set a total. But, I would love to get 250-300. Our objective is to get at least one decent partnership like that of (Mohammad) Kaif and (Parthiv) Patel and contribution from the rest. At least we can make Indians life difficult." Commenting on the effectiveness of Australian speedsters in the match and whether Brett Lee would be included in the next Test, the coach said "the five-wicket haul of Shane Warne would suggest that it would not have been possible without the support of the fast bowlers. They bowled well in tandem.
"We will reassess once we finish this Test for any changes," he said. Buchanan said promoting Adam Gilchrist to number three was a positive move and the team would keep open the option of reshuffling the batting order. "We hope we can keep everybody guessing in India. He certainly was to come to bat at number 3 at the start of the series. But it was decided he would come at seven. "But we always had the option to move up the order and that's what he did today. It was a positive move. I believe he did a very good job. Unfortunately, he is not at the crease now," he said.
About the fielding lapses, he said: "There is no getting away from the fact that if we could have latched on to at least 50 per cent of those dropped catches, we could have restricted India to a score which we would have been comfortable with." (Our Correspondent)
Published: Sunday, October 17, 2004
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