Hussey to lead as Ponting rests

Michael Hussey, not even part of the squad that surrendered the Ashes a year ago, will lead Australia against West Indies on Monday, with Ricky Ponting opting for a rest as the DLF Cup moves into its second week. Matthew Hayden, Andrew Symonds and Brett Lee will also return as Australia look to ensure a place in next Sunday's final.

Hussey, who hasn't played any part in the tournament so far, averages a mind-boggling 77.06 from his 31 innings in ODIs, and more importantly, his strike-rate - 97.47 - has made him the perfect man to pilot the late-innings surge. "I'll think about maybe sliding up," he said with a laugh when asked if he might go up the order. "No, not really. I think I've got a very specific role in the team and one that I really enjoy playing."

The progression from nowhere man to man in charge is a scarcely believable one, and Hussey admitted as much. "It's pretty remarkable, I guess, but I'm just enjoying every moment. I'm just looking forward to leading the team as well as I possibly can."

With Mitchell Johnson, the bowling hero against India, joining Mark Cosgrove and Phil Jaques on a flight home later today, more established faces will come into the fray against West Indies. And Hussey reckoned that the wealth of experience in the ranks would stand him in good stead. "I'm not looking to change too much," he said. "The team's been playing pretty well in the tournament, and over the past few years. Ricky's got a very good plan, and we've got a good culture. I'll be making my decisions out there, but I'll be calling on the senior players and their experience and ideas."

West Indies know that victory on Monday will push India closer to elimination, and Brian Lara was confident that his team had what it took to cause an upset. "You've got to be mentally, physically and tactically strong as well," he said, when asked what plans they had for Australia. "They're not at their best at the present, evident from the hiccups in their batting, but they are a confident unit and the best team in the world. If they find themselves in any difficult situation, they can get out of it. You have to as aggressive as they are and beat them at every turn. That's what we thought we were doing in the first game but unfortunately we folded during the latter part."

Corey Collymore, who has a right thigh problem, remains doubtful for the game, and Lara emphasised that his bowlers would need to do much better if they were to run Australia close. "I still think we're short of where we want to be," he said. "It's not about who we play, it's about what we do when we have the ball in our hands. I think it's important to work on their game and not worry too much about the opposition. But the most important thing is to improve on our inconsistent line and length."

Unless the team management elects to give him a rest, something he surely doesn't need after nearly a year away, Glenn McGrath will once again have a crucial role to play. And Hussey, for one, had no doubt about his continuing value to the side. "He's just a champion, isn't he? After such a long break, he's just come back and put it right on the 20-cent piece every time. He's a huge asset to our team. Hopefully, everything's good at home with his family and he can concentrate solely on playing good cricket. If he does, we're going to be a very hard team to beat."

West Indies gave Australia an almighty scare in the opening game before the collapse that saw nine wickets fall for just 29, but Lara said that it wouldn't inhibit his players ahead of Monday's match. "I think we just need to think about our game a lot better," he said. "I think Chanderpaul and Gayle put us in a very good position. I don't know if we panicked, but the game plan went out of the window and that's where we fell short. And even looking at India yesterday, with 170 to get in 29 overs, they panicked. Against Australia we need to maintain sanity and play good, thinking cricket throughout the game."

Keeping in mind the inclement weather conditions and the high possibility of rain in the evenings, the remaining matches, including Monday's, will start an hour early, at 1330 Malaysia time.

Australia (likely): 1 Matthew Hayden, 2 Shane Watson, 3 Damien Martyn, 4 Michael Clarke, 5 Andrew Symonds, 6 Michael Hussey (capt), 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 Brad Hogg, 9 Brett Lee, 10 Stuart Clark, 11 Glenn McGrath.

West Indies (likely): 1 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 2 Chris Gayle, 3 Ramnaresh Sarwan, 4 Brian Lara (capt), 5 Dwayne Bravo, 6 Wavell Hinds, 7 Dwayne Smith, 8 Carlton Baugh, 9 Ian Bradshaw, 10 Jerome Taylor, 11 Corey Collymore.