Bridgetown (Barbados): World Cup favourites Australia may elevate Michael Hussey and Andrew Symonds higher in the batting order in the Super Eights game against Ireland on Friday, captain Ricky Ponting said.
Symonds has not started in several games since the Australians arrived in the Caribbean a month ago, scoring 59 in three innings. Hussey's time has been disastrous, with only 35 runs scored in six innings. The failures included knocks against three of the eliminated teams, Zimbabwe, Netherlands and Scotland.
Ponting told a news conference he had a long talk with Hussey in the nets on Thursday to find out how the 31-year-old was feeling and whether he needed some time in the middle against Ireland, which is unlikely to progress out of the Super Eights having lost all their matches so far.
Asked if the batting order could change, he said, "It may happen tomorrow. Nothing's going to be set in stone but I have spoken long and hard to the batting group and we might do something about Hussey and Symonds. We might consider it."
Ponting said Australia are taking no risks against Ireland and have prepared for them as they would against any other team.
"We have to be sure that nothing sneaks up on us and catches us unawares. We are preparing for this match as we would against South Africa or Sri Lanka," he said.
Despite Australia's impressive form at the World Cup, Ponting said he was still not happy with the team's performance.
"Until it gets to the stage where they are surprising themselves or surprising me then they haven't succeeded," he said.
Australia have won all six matches so far by wide margins and won't be easing up against last place Ireland.
"We're in the Super Eights now, it's not a warm-up match," said fast bowler Shaun Tait. "We've got to play in our best form.
"If we relax in any of these games and then come up against a big side, we might get done then. We've just got to concentrate on what we are doing at the moment."
The defending champions will be out to assert the supremacy that has brought them to the verge of the semi-finals without being seriously stretched in any of the six outings during the ongoing tournament.
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