Spinners could turn the WC: Dalrymple

KINGSTOWN, March 7: England off-spinner Jamie Dalrymple believes that slow rather than pace bowlers will be crucial on the dry pitches of the Caribbean during the World Cup. Speaking a day after his 76 off 79 balls helped England score 286-8 to beat Bermuda by 241 runs, Dalrymple expects to make an impact with the ball rather than the bat when the tournament starts next Tuesday. He watched as 270-pound (122-kilogram) left-arm spinner Dwayne Leverock had Kevin Pietersen stumped after dismissing Paul Collingwood in a tidy spell of 2-32 off 10 overs. "It could be very indicative of how spin could be important in this tournament," Dalrymple said. "A lot comes into it for spinners and how much pressure a batsman is under makes a huge difference. But it looked like there was some genuine turn there and that makes the game a lot more interesting for a spinner." Dalrymple agreed that his team's final hit-out on Friday against Australia would hold psychological value, particularly after England won the tri-series finals in Australia last month. "We'll be going into it with all guns blazing," he said. "It's an important game for us to get a little bit more used to the conditions and lots of us will be keen to get time out in the middle." Australia lost five straight One-Day Internationals last month after winning 10 games in a row against England. "If we got another victory against them it would be another boost for us and it would also ask more questions of them and put them under pressure," he said. "Things have moved on pretty smoothly since the One-day series in Australia and there is some real confidence around the squad."
courtesy:timesofindia