Australian all-rounder D’Arcy Short is working on his spin bowling with the help of former Indian Sridharan Sriram to boost his chances in the playing XI of the team for the upcoming T20I and ODI series against India starting with the first T20I in Vizag on Sunday.
“I did a lot of work with him (Sriram) in the A tour in August and September. That was good then and I’ve done a bit of work with him yesterday and today, just refining things and getting a little bit better,” Short was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au.
Short, who is part of Australia’s 150member squad, added, “If I can give two or three overs or even four or five in one-day cricket then it’s always going to help my selection in the end and hopefully it goes in my favour.”
Short has picked 10 wickets in 15 games for Hobart Hurricanes this season besides scoring 637 runs at 53.08 and a strike rate of 140.61.
Heaping praises on Short, Sriram said the 28-year-old can offer a lot to the team with his spin bowling.
“We’ve seen in the Big Bash, he’s bowled a lot more than the previous years which I think is a very good sign for our cricket team going forward,” Sriram said, before adding, “He’s come a long way. One of the main things we talked about was aligning his technique and then consistency of length.”
Sriram added, “If he can do that and spin the ball both ways, which he does, when he’s bowling at his best I think he offers a lot to the team along with his batting.”
The second T20I match between India and Australia will be played on February 27 at Bangalore. The T20I series will be followed by a five-match ODI series.