Bouncy pitches in Windies perk up Aussies WC chances

Sydney, Feb 9 (UNI) The fearsome Aussie pace-battery would be itching to bowl their team to a third consecutive World Cup title after a reconnaissance visit to the Caribbean revealed that relaid West Indian pitches carry more bounce than previously thought.

Assistant coach Dene Hills went on a fact-finding tour of some Caribbean World Cup venues and has returned with the news that Australia's fast bowlers can expect more encouragement than originally expected.

''Everywhere I went, everyone told me there was going to be good bounce,'' Hills was quoted as saying by The Australian.

He said this was particularly obvious during a domestic match he watched at St Kitts.

''This was a wearing wicket, too,'' he said. ''The pace may not be there as we are accustomed to in Australia but there's going to be good bounce.'' Considered flat and dead in recent years, the West Indian pitches have been relaid keeing in view cricket's most important tournament.

Hills' revelations have been seconded by former West Indian fast bowler Andy Roberts, who was a long-time curator at Antigua and has a good working knowledge of Caribbean pitches.

Meanwhile, coach John Buchanan said the team was preparing for all possible World Cup contingencies.

''We know how West Indian wickets have been in the past (low and slow) and we'll probably run into some of those anyway given that the tournament is over eight weeks,'' Buchanan said.

''We all expect the wickets to change from the beginning to the end (of the World Cup).

''If we do run into the quicker, bouncier wickets we've got the pace to deal with it, and if we run into those slower, lower wickets we've got the ability to take the pace off the ball,'' the coach said.

UNI