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SYDNEY: Australia Captain Aaron Finch says he is more likely than not to play in Friday’s crunch Twenty20 World Cup Super 12 match against Afghanistan despite picking up a hamstring strain on Tuesday.
The hosts and defending champions likely need to win the Group 1 clash at Adelaide Oval to stay in the tournament and Finch said he wouldn’t risk playing if he had any doubts about his fitness.
“Very hopeful to (play), yeah. I’ll have a good hit this afternoon and give it a good test,” Finch told reporters before practice Thursday.
“(It’s) maybe 70-30, but I’ll test it properly this afternoon to make sure I’m not hampering the side at all … because I think the worst possible scenario is you leave the guys short. there with one less player.”
Tim David also picked up a hamstring problem in the win over Ireland on Tuesday and Finch said the middle-order batsman was in the same position as himself.
“He’s in the exact same boat,” Finch added. “He’ll be worked out today, and we’ll know more during practice, I think, the likelihood of us both playing, one of us, neither of us, whatever it looks like, but exactly the same.”
With one Super 12 match to play, Australia are level on five points New Zealand and England at the top of Group 1 but have a much lower net run rate – the tie-breaker in the standings.
Only two teams progress from the group to the semi-finals, so Australia must beat the Afghans and give their net run rate a healthy boost or rely on New Zealand or England suffering upsets to see them through.
England take on Sri Lanka on Saturday, while New Zealand face Ireland in Friday’s opening game in Adelaide.
The Blacks Caps have by far the best net run rate of the three teams and captain Kane Williamson said they will focus purely on performance when they take on the Irish in search of a win to take them into the last four.
“We have seen the quality from all the teams in this tournament, through the qualifiers and into the Super 12,” he said.
“For us it’s really just about continuing to focus on our cricket, making those small improvements from game to game and trying to put in improved performances.”
Ireland beat former champions West Indies in the first round and England in the Super 12, and even though they and Afghanistan are out of contention for a semi-final, bowler Josh Little said they will go out for another upset .
“Everyone is pretty competitive,” he said. “It’s a World Cup. Anything can happen. Yes, we’re going there full of confidence hoping to get a win tomorrow.”
The hosts and defending champions likely need to win the Group 1 clash at Adelaide Oval to stay in the tournament and Finch said he wouldn’t risk playing if he had any doubts about his fitness.
“Very hopeful to (play), yeah. I’ll have a good hit this afternoon and give it a good test,” Finch told reporters before practice Thursday.
“(It’s) maybe 70-30, but I’ll test it properly this afternoon to make sure I’m not hampering the side at all … because I think the worst possible scenario is you leave the guys short. there with one less player.”
Tim David also picked up a hamstring problem in the win over Ireland on Tuesday and Finch said the middle-order batsman was in the same position as himself.
“He’s in the exact same boat,” Finch added. “He’ll be worked out today, and we’ll know more during practice, I think, the likelihood of us both playing, one of us, neither of us, whatever it looks like, but exactly the same.”
With one Super 12 match to play, Australia are level on five points New Zealand and England at the top of Group 1 but have a much lower net run rate – the tie-breaker in the standings.
Only two teams progress from the group to the semi-finals, so Australia must beat the Afghans and give their net run rate a healthy boost or rely on New Zealand or England suffering upsets to see them through.
England take on Sri Lanka on Saturday, while New Zealand face Ireland in Friday’s opening game in Adelaide.
The Blacks Caps have by far the best net run rate of the three teams and captain Kane Williamson said they will focus purely on performance when they take on the Irish in search of a win to take them into the last four.
“We have seen the quality from all the teams in this tournament, through the qualifiers and into the Super 12,” he said.
“For us it’s really just about continuing to focus on our cricket, making those small improvements from game to game and trying to put in improved performances.”
Ireland beat former champions West Indies in the first round and England in the Super 12, and even though they and Afghanistan are out of contention for a semi-final, bowler Josh Little said they will go out for another upset .
“Everyone is pretty competitive,” he said. “It’s a World Cup. Anything can happen. Yes, we’re going there full of confidence hoping to get a win tomorrow.”
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