Aussies preparing for T20 spice

Allrounder James Faulkner is expecting a lively beginning to Australia’s one-off Twenty20 match with Pakistan if his past experiences in the United Arab Emirates are anything to go by.

With the tourists safely landing in Dubai yesterday, Faulkner told media that his previous taste of cricket in the Emirates – courtesy of the opening section of this year’s Indian Premier League – suggested there will be early opportunities for the fast bowlers on Monday (3am AEDST).

“That was my first ever tour (to the UAE), and what I got out of that was the wickets we played on had a little bit in them early with the new ball,” he said.

“It would swing and seam and it was quite tough at the start of each innings, and after that it was pretty good batting conditions; the ball came off the square quite nicely and all the grounds were in very good condition.”

Faulkner dismissed the notion that it was difficult for players to switch formats, or mentally prepare themselves for a one-off Twenty20 match, and declared Australia’s intentions to avenge defeat to the same opposition in March at the ICC World T20 tournament in Bangladesh.

“Any time you play for your country, no matter if it’s a one, three or five-game series, you’re up for the challenge,” he said.

“Pakistan are a very good team, they’re very used to these conditions here in the UAE, so they’re going to be very tough to compete against.

“And any time you get beaten by another country, you obviously want to knock that on the head as quick as you can – (ideally) the next time you come up against them.

“So we’ll be looking forward to the challenge when Sunday comes, to start off with the T20, and after that we’ll worry about the ODIs.

“But at the moment, we’ve just arrived, everyone will acclimatise to the conditions – it’s a bit hotter than last time I was here – and we’ll train and prepare as well as we can for what’s to come.”

Faulkner, 24, has experienced a mixed 2014 after injuring his knee in January during a one-day international against England in Adelaide.

He returned to action in the World T20, playing only twice as he struggled to return to 100 per cent fitness, then lined up for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL.

He was then named captain of Australia A for two four-day matches against India A in July, but was limited in his bowling duties as his recovery continued to be closely monitored.

In the ODI tri-series that followed, he was dropped in the middle of the series as coach Darren Lehmann suggested the left-armer was “a little bit down on form with the ball”.

And wherever Faulkner struggled, Western Australian allrounder Mitchell Marsh shone, usurping his senior counterpart in the battle to become the next in line for Shane Watson’s position in the Test team. 

“Every time you get to play cricket, (the selectors) are looking at your performances, (but) that’s out of my control,” added Faulkner, who made his Test debut for Australia in August last year, but hasn’t featured since.

“All I can control is take as many wickets as I can and score as many runs as I can against whoever the opposition is.

“As far as I’m concerned the body’s in good condition and I’m looking forward to playing some cricket again for my country if selected, and doing as well as I possibly can to help the team win as many games as possible.”