Faulkner expects plenty of banter at SCG

Australia all-rounder James Faulkner is expecting the tension between his side and India to be at an all time high in their semi-final in Sydney on Thursday, saying they will be 'cut-throat' in the middle.
Australia and India have been in each others' faces plenty of times in the past five months, with India arriving in November and playing a full Test series and then a tri-series, and Faulkner knows there will be a lot of verbal sparring.
Faulkner said: "I think there always is in the game, if there isn't you've got problems. It's the nature of the game, it's a semi-final, it's cut-throat.
"There's going to be words said and it's going to be a really tough contest. Neither team will be backing down.
"We have come up against them a hell of a lot over the last 12-18 months and they've spent a fair bit of time in the country. They've adapted well to the conditions.
"A lot of nerves were on show a couple of nights ago [in Adelaide] and I think that's good. Both teams are exposed and if you don't have nerves you've got issues."
The SCG deck could go either way in terms of bat or ball winning out, but Faulkner feels there should be some runs on the board, judging from past efforts at the World Cup, including South Africa's 400-plus against the West Indies.
He added: "A lot depends on the wicket. The last time we played here, the wicket was obviously very good against Sri Lanka. We made 360-odd, they made over 300. It was a great one-day wicket.
"If it's much like that, I'm expecting a lot of runs scored. If you look over the recent past, over there or here, you've seen a lot of runs.
"Against Sri Lanka, the wicket didn't really spin and it was quite easy to get hold of. I'm not too sure what make-up they'll go in with or what make-up we'll go in with.
"The wicket dictates a lot, so we'll wait and see what is come game day."
Latest
-
News
Dale Steyn heaps praise on Pakistan trio, prefers PSL over IPL
Record South African fast bowler Dale Steyn is full of praise for Pakistan players Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf and Babar Azam.
-
News
Chris Gayle sets sights on third T20 World Cup title
West Indies veteran Chris Gayle has set his sights on winning a third T20 World Cup when he makes his return to international cricket.
-
News
Cricket in line to receive significant chunk of £300m sports recovery package
The England and Wales Cricket Board welcomed the support, describing it as “a lifeline for parts of the game”.
-
News
Marcus Trescothick relishing return to ‘special environment’ with England
Trescothick is England’s new batting coach.
-
News
Jack Leach feels here to stay after establishing himself as top England spinner
Leach made his debut almost three years ago in New Zealand but had made only 10 appearances before the turn of the year.
-
News
Kevin O’Brien says century against England helped Ireland ‘reach for the stars’
O’Brien hit a 50-ball 113 as Ireland chased down a target of 328 in the 2011 World Cup.
-
News
Ian Harvey is Gloucestershire interim coach after Richard Dawson joins England
Dawson has accepted the position of ECB elite pathway coach
-
News
Marcus Trescothick, Jon Lewis and Jeetan Patel join England’s coaching staff
Trescothick has left his assistant’s role at Somerset.
-
News
Ben Foakes focuses on squaring the series with England
The tourists are 2-1 down going into the final Test against India.
-
News
Stonewall praises Steven Davies and warns ‘attitudes need to shift across sport’
The 34-year-old wicketkeeper announced he was gay 10 years ago.