Hauritz backs England in Cardiff time-wasting row
AUSTRALIAN spinner Nathan Hauritz has played down reports of a rift with England in the wake of the time-wasting row in the first Ashes Test.
Hauritz’s captain Ricky Ponting was unhappy after England twice sent 12th man Bilal Shafayat and physio Steve McCaig onto the field as final pair James Anderson and Monty Panesar batted out bravely for a draw.
But Hauritz, who emerged an unlikely hero for Australia with six wickets in the match, insisted England’s tactics were part and parcel of the game.
“At the end of the day they had to last, they had to survive for the last 60-odd balls and they spaced out their allotted amount of overs,” Hauritz said. “People could say that we were rushing through our overs to get more balls at them so I don’t think anything has been made out of it at all by us. It’s dead and buried. It’s just part of the game and we’re just focusing on Lord’s at the moment.”
Although playing down the incident, Hauritz does believe England’s tactics may have revitalised a healthy rivalry between the two sides ahead of the second Test, which gets underway on Thursday.
“In the 2005 series I think Australia said they were too chummy with the English at times and the English got under our skins,” he added. “I think it’s fantastic for the game to see it’s a battle out on the field.”