JOIN USKeen to finish it here: Hussey
Australian middle-order batsman David Hussey said his side had a great chance to win the tri-series by clinching the second final here on Tuesday.
Australia had won the first final in Brisbane by 15 runs after surviving a late Sri Lankan blitz led by Nuwan Kulasekara. “This is a chance to win a series -- not all of us have actually won a series in Australia in one-day international cricket," Hussey told reporters on Monday. "So it's very important we actually close out the series in a professional manner.”
Hussey hoped that the hosts, especially the bowlers, would come up with a perfect game at the Adelaide Oval. "The conditions were a bit greasy (at the Gabba) and it was very hard to stand up for the fast bowlers. But if we can just execute our skills ... I think we will go a long way in winning the game. I thought we played three-quarters of the perfect game last night and hopefully there is a perfect game just around the corner,” he added.
Hussey had contributed meaningfully to the win on Sunday grabbing four wickets with his off-spin, and the younger brother of Mike Hussey expressed satisfaction with his progress as a bowler.
“It's funny, a couple of years ago I was classified as just a batsman and a muck-around net bowler who bowled to the tail-enders. Now, I'm opening the bowling in T20s and bowling key overs in one-day cricket. So, I definitely take it a little more seriously now.”
However, the top-scorer in the tri-series said he did not consider himself a frontline bowler. “I'm not really a frontline bowler, I am happy to fill in a job here and there. I like contributing to the bowling attack, but I'll leave the wicket-taking to the fast bowlers. I wouldn't say I'm a spinner -- if I hit a few pebbles they might turn a little bit! But I like to bowl well and contribute to the team.”
Brisbane man of the match David Warner is suffering from a sore groin, and Hussey hoped the left-hander would be available for the game.
"He's going to have a fitness test tomorrow morning but we all hope he's up and firing for it. It was a fantastic innings and all the boys are hoping he replicates that tomorrow," Hussey said.
"He's an integral part of the team. If he comes out and produces another 150, that'd be fantastic for us and go a long way towards us achieving our goal and winning the series in two games,” Hussey said.
Sri Lanka are also waiting on the fitness of all-rounder Angelo Mathews, who had suffered a calf niggle in the game against Australia in Melbourne. “We are hoping Angie is fit. We will see how he goes. We will give him another 24 hours, and see how he pulls up in the fitness test. I am glad Maharoof recovered from his back injury, otherwise we would have struggled for a combination,” said Sri Lankan skipper Mahela Jayawardene.