Thaindian News

Colombo, Mar 3 (ANI): Leg spinner Steve Smith believes that the form of Australia’s pace attack of Brett Lee, Shaun Tait and Mitchell Johnson could prompt Sri Lanka to have a guarded approach to the pacers and then move on to pick up the scoring rate against support bowlers.

Smith said he is prepared for an attack on his leg-spinners in Australia’s World Cup clash against Sri Lanka on Saturday.

“We’ve got the firepower up top with the quicks all bowling at about 150 clicks,” The Sydney Morning Herald quoted Smith, as saying.

“When I come on, a team like Sri Lanka’s going to come quite hard at me. Because of the quicks we’ve got in the side, I think they’ll take it a bit easier against them and go hard at me, so I think I’ve got a chance to take a few wickets as well,” he said.

Commenting on Sri Lankan pace spearhead Lasith Malinga’s six wickets against Kenya at the R. Premadasa Stadium, Smith said: “He’s bowling pretty well … it was his first game back and he did pretty well, he took a hat-trick and six wickets.”

“The [pitch in that] game was a bit different against Pakistan, it seemed to turn quite a bit. I think the wicket’s going to be a bit more like that against us. Obviously there’s been a lot of talk of us playing spin, so I’m sure they’re going to have quite a few spinners in their side and will prepare a wicket that’s going to turn,” he said.

Smith, 21, is on his third tour of the subcontinent, after stints with NSW during the 2009 Champions League and the Australian Test and ODI teams on the tour to India in September-October last year. (ANI)