Bangladesh Australia, 2nd Test, Chittagong
Weary Australia ponder changes
Cricinfo staff
April 14, 2006
Shane Warne may be rested for the Chittagong Test as Ricky Ponting admits the team is 'fatigued' © Getty Images
Ricky Ponting has hinted that Australia will make changes to their side for the second Test at Chittagong which starts on Sunday. A number of players looked jaded during the Fatullah Test and there are concerns over the fitness of Shane Warne and Brett Lee in particular.
"We have to look at it pretty closely," Ponting told reporters. "The last thing we want now are guys going into the second Test match that are fatigued and come up with an injury that could put them out for a long period of time. If you'd been in our dressing room and seen how fatigued and exhausted some of the players are I think everyone would be quite surprised."
Australia will train on Saturday before making any final decisions, but Dan Cullen is on standby should the selectors opt to rest Warne, who is suffering from a sore shoulder, and Mitchell Johnson and Nathan Bracken could be brought in for the weary Lee and Stuart Clark. "We are going to have a really good look at a few of the guys," Ponting explained. "Actually that was on the cards coming into the first Test. I was a little bit worried about a couple of our fast bowlers in particular with the workload they had during South Africa.
"Shane had a very heavy workload as well and as you can see from this game he has come through with an injury but he was able to bowl pretty well in the second innings. So we have to monitor him and see how he pulls up, we have Bracken and Cullen who have flown out early. "We will give the guys a few days now to go back and do nothing and see how they pull up closer to the start of the Test match."
He added: "If you had been in our dressing room and seen how fatigued and exhausted some of the players are I think everyone would be quite surprised."
© Cricinfo
