Seam, not spin to decide India-Australia series, says Lawson

Former Aussie fast bowler Geoff Lawson, who is currently the Pakistan cricket coach, has said that pace, more than spin bowling would decide the winner of the forthcoming India-Australia series.

Sydney, Sept 26 : Former Aussie fast bowler Geoff Lawson, who is currently the Pakistan cricket coach, has said that pace, more than spin bowling would decide the winner of the forthcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

"I don't think this series will be dominated by spin bowling as much as people think but I think it will be a really good, close series. I think that seam bowling will be more important - Ishant Sharma and these types of guys are bowling very well and the Australian seam bowling is pretty useful. I think it will be dominated by them," the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Lawson as saying in an interview.

He said Aussie captain Ricky Ponting will be right to concentrate on attacking the Indians with their battery of seamers in the Test series beginning next month.

Indian spin duo Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble are well below their best, meaning the local quicks led by Ishant Sharma and Zaheer Khan will need to be given helpful conditions in which to operate, he said and added: "You view these sorts of series as spinner dominated but Australia have incredibly inexperienced spin bowlers and normally even the best find it difficult against subcontinental batsmen on their home grounds."

"Having watched the India-Sri Lanka series, Harbhajan and Kumble were very ineffective and I just think they may have lost it a bit," he added.

ANI