CT AUS V WI Preview: Bracken , Clarke Out, Ponting Worries For Future

Nathan Bracken had big hopes for the ICC Champions Trophy and the Champions League Twenty20. However, his plans came crashing as his troubled knee gave out ahead of Australia’s campaign.
Bracken’s participation in CL T20 (Champions League Twenty20) is possibly likely to be missed as well. Bracken had hoped to show the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) the mistake in leaving him out for the Champions League Twenty20, making him available for the New South Wales (NSW) Blues.
However, the CL T20 schedule that closely follows on the heels of the ICC Champions Trophy in South Africa does not leave Bracken with much time to recuperate. He had earlier vented his frustration that he was not selected with regularity for the Australian team. Now it appears his skipper is even more concerned.
Bracken’s injury leaves Ricky Ponting, the Australian captain, a worried man because he believes Bracken could now face an even more dodgy future pending injury assessment and recuperation.
Ponting will also be hampered by the fact that vice captain, Michael Clarke, is most certainly going to miss their first match of the Group A match against the West Indies as Clarke has pulled up with a sore back following the trip from England, UK to South Africa.
Ponting lamented on the fact that the seven ODI match NatWest series against England, which Australia won 6-1, was too long keeping in mind that the teams had to fly down to South Africa within barely forty-eight hours.
But given the drubbing that the West Indies faced against Pakistan, no one would give them too much hope. Against Australia in a rampaging mood, mercy may be hard to find. But the West Indies bowlers showed more depth in their bowling than the team did in the batting sphere. If they can string a couple of partnerships, they may just make a case for themselves.
It would only have to be a complacent Australia against a playing-out-of-their-skins West Indies that would spice up the noon time contest that could take some attention from the much awaited other Group A clash between India and Pakistan.