The Australian outback is home to the Redback spider, known to be dangerous for its neurotoxins and as a member of the dreaded widow family. If habitats have a bearing on humans, little wonder then that the red-dotted web crawler lurks on the jersey backs of the South Australian Redbacks.
Strangely, the said squad showed few traces of its iconic insect's venom, surrendering meekly in a 50-run defeat to the Warriors on Sunday. Callum Ferguson dismissed that debacle as a one-off thing.
“After losing those early wickets, it was difficult to rebuild the momentum,” the Redbacks' vice-captain said. On the virtual absence of the fightback that the Aussies were famous for and the failed run chase, he said, “We were not quite in rhythm with the bat.”
Excessive reliance
At the suggestion there was excessive reliance on Shaun Tait, who had proved pretty expensive, Ferguson said Daniel Christian (one of the most expensive buys for Deccan Chargers in IPL IV) and Daniel Harris were quite capable of containing the batsmen. Defending Tait, he said the spearhead could fulfil almost every role as a bowler.
Would they persist with the three-spinner strategy? “We have had a lot of success with three spinners and I don't see that changing on Tuesday and for the rest of the tournament,” he replied.
Tough challenge
On the prospects of their Tuesday tussle with the Kolkata Knight Riders, Ferguson said, “It's a tough challenge and we are confident of a turnaround.” On KKR being a star-studded side, he said, “Our game plans in the past have held us in good stead,” suggesting his squad would put up a braver show free from injury worries and regardless of rival line-ups.
The Kolkata squad, smarting under two defeats in a row, would appear as only high on hype if it fails to deliver against the Redbacks. The smaller margin of defeat on Sunday night could indicate that the side has begun to combine better with Yusuf Pathan's devastating display proving to be just the catalyst it needs.
Manvinder Bisla's opening charge, Jacques Kallis' all-round accomplishments, Ryan ten Doeschate's raring-to-have-a-go attitude backed by Rajat Bhatia's consistent bowling, pack enough match-winning potential.
Fitter team
If the greater hunger to succeed favours a side when hazarding a prediction, the scales should tilt towards a younger and fitter Redbacks, if not its keenness to make a mark in its first Nokia Champions League campaign.
