(Credit X)
Australia’s fast bowler Josh Hazlewood acknowledged that the windy conditions in the West Indies were responsible for the dropped catches by the Aussies in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024.
Hazlewood’s remarks followed Australia’s defeat to Rohit Sharma’s Indian team in their crucial final Super 8 match of the tournament. The Australian team was eager for a victory against India to stay in contention for the semi-finals. However, their hopes were dashed as fate dealt them a different outcome despite being the 2021 Champions.
Rohit Sharma unleashed a batting spectacle against Mitchell Marsh’s Australia at the Darren Sammy Stadium in St. Lucia. After Virat Kohli fell early to Josh Hazlewood’s delivery, Rohit Sharma took charge with an explosive innings, smashing 92 runs off just 41 balls at a daunting strike rate exceeding 220.
Rohit’s onslaught included 7 fours and 8 sixes, captivating the audience with his aggressive stroke play. Suryakumar Yadav contributed 31 off 17 balls, Shivam Dube added 28 off 22, and Hardik Pandya chipped in with 27 off 17 to bolster India’s total to 205 runs. The innings could have been different if Mitchell Marsh had held onto a catch from Pandya, who batted with a strike rate over 150.
Australia’s fielding woes continued from previous matches, notably their loss to Afghanistan in the second Super 8 game where dropped catches proved costly. Josh Hazlewood addressed the issue in a press conference, reflecting on their disappointing fielding performance during crucial moments of the tournament.
Josh Hazlewood attributed Australia’s subpar fielding performance to the challenging conditions at the new stadiums in the West Indies. He highlighted the windy and breezy nature of the venue, emphasizing that these conditions make it difficult for fielders to successfully take catches.
Hazlewood disclosed that Australia had practiced predominantly on one side of the ground where they managed to hold onto a few catches during their session. However, he noted that the downwind conditions significantly compounded the difficulty level, making it tougher for players to execute catches effectively.
Despite these challenges, Hazlewood acknowledged that such conditions cannot serve as excuses for the Australian team’s lapses in fielding, especially given the high skill level expected from top-class players.
“Not sure. It could play a part I guess. Being a new ground. I mean in the warm-up we took a few but you only get one side to practice and warm-up on. One thing here I guess is very very windy. So it’s hard catching into the wind as there’s a down breeze. You’ve seen some very good fielders drop catches, I guess it’s out of the ordinary. But when you put all that together – new stadium, windy.” – Josh Hazlewood said.
