MUMBAI: Australian batsman Mike Hussey received a World Cup reprieve Sunday when he was named as a replacement for injured fast bowler Doug Bollinger. Hussey had been named in the original 15-man squad before being controversially removed as selectors feared he would not recover in time from a hamstring injury. The 35-year-old's omission not only angered the batsman but also caused a furore in Australia. Hussey had always believed he would be fit to play most of the event despite rupturing a hamstring during the ODI series against England in January. Bollinger was ruled out of the World Cup with a left ankle injury and subsequently returned home. Fast bowler Dirk Nannes will also travel to India as a standby player to train with the Australian squad and be available in case another fast bowler gets injured, the statement added. Intikhab backs selections Pakistan manager Intikhab Alam Sunday brushed aside criticism from former great Imran Khan, who said team selections at the World Cup had been negative. Imran said playing with two frontline pacemen and two spinners, in addition to Mohammad Hafeez as spinning all-rounder and fast-bowling all-rounder Abdul Razzaq, was defensive. But Intikhab said Pakistan had been making the most of their resources. “Everyone has the right to give his opinion, but we have not closed our eyes and ears,” he said. “The team management is doing its homework and is doing whatever is needed in the best interests of the team,” Intikhab added ahead of Pakistan's Group A match against New Zealand in Pallekele Tuesday. Imran's criticisms come despite three wins out of three for Pakistan, which sees them at the top of the group. “I strongly believe that although Pakistan have won three matches, they are playing with one specialist bowler short and need to include a bowler in place of a batsman or an all-rounder,” said Imran. Intikhab, who was coach/manager of the 1992 Pakistan World Cup-winning team that Imran captained, said the teams would face the extra challenge of playing at high altitude in the hill resort of Pallekele. Leggies honor Warne's legacy The success of Shahid Afridi and Imran Tahir at the World Cup has laid to rest fears that the art of leg-spin had died with the retirement of the charismatic Shane Warne. Warne, probably the greatest leg-spinner to grace the sport, fooled batsmen with his wizardy and guile before retiring in 2007 with 708 Test and 293 one-day wickets for Australia. But his legacy lives on with Pakistan captain Afridi, South Africa's Tahir and even Canada's portly Balaji Rao proving wrist spinners remain a force to reckon with in limited-overs cricket. The inspirational Afridi has zoomed to the top of the World Cup bowling charts with 14 wickets in three matches, including two five-wicket hauls and a return of 4-23 in the third. Pakistan-born Tahir has met with immediate success with 11 wickets for the Proteas. Even Rao, who turned out for Tamil Nadu in Indian domestic cricket before migrating to Canada, has starred with six wickets with his crafty mix of leg
