Former PM keen to see Aussies at work

New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum might have lent his name to an open letter for his nation’s employers providing an excuse for workers who choose to take a day off in order to attend tomorrow’s semi-final against South Africa in Auckland.

But the man who pioneered that ploy by advising any boss who sacked an employee for not fronting in the wake of Australia’s historic 1983 America’s Cup victory they were a “bum” has suggested that level of celebration might not be appropriate should Australia hoist the World Cup on Sunday.

Former Prime Minister and avowed cricket fan Bob Hawke was the latest in a string of former players and other notables to have lent their support to Australia’s quest for one-day cricket’s premier trophy when he made a brief visit to their training at the SCG this afternoon.

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Bob Hawke speaks with Steve Smith at training in Sydney // Getty Images

Walking with the aid of a stick, Hawke met a number of the Australia players and support staff, recounted a golf-related joke that he later deemed too ribald to share with television cameras and posed for photographs with the small crowd of onlookers gathered at the nets.

But having engaged in a chat with skipper Michael Clarke and captain-in-waiting Steve Smith, Hawke declined to reprise perhaps his most famous line from 32 years earlier when asked if employers should once more show leniency if celebrating staff went missing the day after Sunday’s Cup final.

“I think for this one (World Cup) they can turn up for work,” he laughed.

“But they should enjoy it.”

Former PM refreshes himself

As the ICC’s quadrennial ODI showpiece enters its final week, a successful campaign launched earlier this year by New Zealand Cricket to offer mock form letters on official NZC letterhead that carried a note from McCullum providing workers with a cover note to attend the cricket has resurfaced.

In addition to providing a space for the employees’ name, it advises that the absent staffer will be working in the nation’s interest by helping to support the Black Caps at Eden Park and adds “Come down and support us yourself. We’ve got a seat with your name on it and a flag that won’t wave itself”.

But Hawke’s informal address to Clarke’s players was far less militant if equally light-hearted, though he claimed he was expecting Australia to defeat India at the SCG on Thursday because of their imposing array of fast bowlers “about 10 feet tall each of them” and their batting depth.

But the 85-year-old, who won’t be able to attend Thursday’s semi-final as he travels to China tomorrow, was also impressed by the morale and the camaraderie he detected having been a regular visitor to Australia dressing rooms throughout his public life.

“I think it’s as good as it’s ever been,” he said in relation to the Australians’ team spirit.

“Captain Michael Clarke, he’s not an effusive fella but he has the confidence of his team and I think he’s been absolutely remarkable personally, the way he’s fought back over his injuries and he’s very much respected for that.

“And the relationship between the team, just listening to them and watching them with each other impressed me very much indeed.”

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Australia skipper Michael Clarke poses for a photo with the former PM // Getty Images

What seems less self-evident is the nature of the SCG pitch that has emerged as a central talking point given the competing teams on Thursday have played one another so often in Tests and ODIs over the past four months.

No sooner had James Faulkner settled into his seat for a packed pre-training media conference at the SCG than he was quizzed by an Indian journalist as to the rationale and his response to the news the ICC had despatched a “pitch arbitrator” to oversee preparation of the Sydney strip.

Not expecting a wrong-un first up, Faulkner did his best to play a straight bat while clearly having no clue as to what the inquisitor was getting at before answering: "That's the first I've heard of that and I haven't seen the wicket – it’s Monday.

It turns out the “arbitrator” is the ICC’s contracted pitch consultant Andy Atkinson, who has served in that role for 12 years and is a fixture at ICC-run tournaments to provide oversight and lend assistance as required to local curators in the preparation of match-day pitches.

He has been working with curators in Australia and New Zealand throughout the current World Cup, and was involved in numerous conversations with SCG curator Tom Parker today as his staff continued preparation for Thursday’s day-night semi-final.

While the pitch to be used in Thursday’s game will be the same one employed for last week’s quarter-final between South Africa and Sri Lanka, on which the Proteas’ spinners Imran Tahir (4-26) and JP Duminy (3-29) took seven wickets between them, the Australia brainstrust is expecting it to behave similarly to the track on which they played Sri Lanka a fortnight ago.

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Glenn Maxwell scored his maiden ODI century in Australia's last match at the SCG // Getty Images

That pitch yielded almost 700 runs over the course of two innings and – as Clarke noted in his post-match media conference after his team’s win over Pakistan in Adelaide last Friday – hardly produced a ball that spun with Sri Lanka being bowled out by Australia’s quicks.

“The last time we played here, the wicket was obviously very good against Sri Lanka,” Faulkner said today.

“We made 360-odd, they made over 300. It was a great one-day wicket.

“If it's much like that, I'm expecting a lot of runs scored.

“If you look over the past, over there (India) or here (in Australia) you've seen a lot of runs.”

The Indians seemingly expect a pace barrage as a number of their batsmen were seen practising their technique against short-pitched during their nets session at the SCG this morning.

But Shane Watson, who survived and ultimately prospered against the most hostile spell of fast bowling the tournament has seen delivered by Pakistan’s Wahab Riaz last Friday, also received some pointers on negotiating bouncers from coach Darren Lehmann today.

Wahab Riaz's magnificent spell

He then went into the nets to trial what he had been told against throw-downs from Australia batting coach Michael DiVenuto (watch below).

Watson was not the only Australia player to seek extra input at today’s session.

Opener Aaron Finch, who has struggled for runs since posting a century in the opening match of the campaign against England, underwent a series of throw downs prior to training starting under the gaze of his friend and former Victoria teammate Andrew McDonald.

McDonald, who played four Tests before moving to South Australia and who will coach English county Leicestershire this UK summer, was again on hand to chat with Finch when he returned to the nets later in the session.