Aussies sweat on fair contest

AUSTRALIA insists it won’t be sweating over its treatment of the ball this summer in its first Test on home soil since Sandpapergate.

‘‘Ball management’’ is something no one took much notice of in international cricket before Cameron Bancroft was caught red-handed in Cape Town in March.

There were plenty of sweaty palms in Australian cricket that day and in the months since, but vice-captain Josh Hazlewood says shining of the ball will be a perspiration-free zone this summer.

Slips Usman Khawaja and Aaron Finch have emerged as possible candidates to be in charge of ball management against India … simply because they don’t sweat.

“To be honest, the people who shine the ball are the ones who don’t sweat. It’s as simple as that,” Hazlewood said. “The bowlers sweat a lot when they bowl and you don’t want it getting wet, you want to keep it dry and shine it.

“It’s two guys who don’t sweat, simple as that.”

That said, Hazlewood couldn’t see reverse swing being a major factor in the first Test in Adelaide as it was in South Africa in March and in the United Arab Emirates against Pakistan in October.

“It’s pretty common sense … this ground and Perth are not ideal for reverse swing, so it’s more normal seam and swing,” Hazlewood said.

“I don’t think it’s going to play a massive part in this game.”

Australian cricket has been under a glaring spotlight since the ball-tampering scandal.

But, although the side has played in England, Zimbabwe and the UAE since Justin Langer took over as coach in May, this Test is the first time the nation will be watching.

Hazlewood said the team is at ease with that expectation.

“I don’t feel extra pressure. I feel a lot of extra excitement,” he said.

“There’s potentially a debutant. It’s always good to have that around the group.

“It’s the excitement of the Australian summer coming around again.

“There’s nothing better than playing Test cricket in Australia.

“Excitement is (the main feeling). We’ve got a couple of days’ training to finetune a few things.”

The potential debutant, Marcus Harris, faced a stern examination from Hazlewood and his fellow Australian quicks in the Adelaide Oval nets yesterday.

Australia is yet to decide whether Harris or Victorian teammate Peter Handscomb makes the team.