Hauritz thankful to Warne for reviving career

Thursday, 31 Dec, 2009

MELBOURNE: Nathan Hauritz thanked Shane Warne for reviving his career as his MCG magic prompted selectors to resist rushing young leg-spinner Steve Smith into Test cricket.

The much-maligned Hauritz revealed two simple words from Warne — “be patient” — were the driving force behind him taking five wickets in Pakistan’s second innings and becoming a match-winner in the first Test.

Hauritz was under pressure to perform when selector Andrew Hilditch last week urged the spinner to step up late in Tests.

With Warne’s words of advice, Hauritz (5-101) took the first five-wicket haul of his first-class career to bowl Australia to a 170-run win.

The leg-spin king and the rising off-spinner were huddled in conversation before the fifth day of the MCG Test.

“Being able to talk to Warnie and guys like that has been very helpful,” Hauritz told reporters. “I was a little bit impatient there at times and had a bit of a chat to Shane this morning and I was just trying to work on that. I think it’s a big area that I’ve got to work on.”

Warne was impressed with the way Hauritz intelligently tossed the ball up — using flight to dismiss Kamran Akmal and Mohammad Aamir with successive deliveries.

“It wasn’t the five wickets, it was the way he bowled,” Warne said. “He out-thought the batsmen at the time. I thought he bowled with patience.

“I had a chat with him about positive reinforcement. The main thing I like about Nathan Hauritz is he has actually improved as cricketer.”

Not only has Hauritz found form, but heavy rain in Sydney this week means selectors were not willing to risk a two-spinner strategy on what could be a pace-friendly pitch.

Skipper Ricky Ponting said Hauritz’s biggest moment would give him the confidence to reach greater heights. “What players like him need is just that breakout performance,” Ponting said.—Agencies