Darren Lehmann wants Aussie fans to pack the Sydney Cricket Ground on Thursday
Australian coach Darren Lehmann has joined Michael Clarke and David Warner in urging fellow Australians to fill the Sydney Cricket Ground(SCG) on Tuesday when his side takes on India in the second semi-final of the 2015 World Cup.
Both Clarke and Warner had tweeted on Friday, asking the fans to colour the SCG with gold during the semifinal clash.
“Hopefully the SCG is packed with gold as all the Australian venues have been throughout our campaign, and we get a huge lift by seeing so many fans getting behind us.
"But from what I've seen at other games in this World Cup, I suspect there will be a very loud and proud Indian turn-out at Thursday's game so I urge you all to bring your flags, wave them hard and often and provide some really visible and vocal hometown support.,” Lehmann wrote in his column for Cricket Australia’ website.
Expect a high-scoring game on Thursday: Lehmann
Talking about the surface that will greet both teams, the 44-year-old felt that the pitch would be batsman-friendly and thus expected a high scoring contest on Thursday.
"I think the Sydney pitch will be very similar to the one we used in the game against Sri Lanka more than a fortnight ago when almost 700 runs were scored, so I think this will be another high-scoring affair," he added.
The former left-hander also wrote that no team would enter as the favourites and the team that plays better on the day would progress through to the final.
"Now it's a matter of who plays well on the day. India are really starting to gain some confidence on the back of some good performances since the tournament began, and that fact that we know them inside out -- just as they do us -- adds an extra element to what already looms as an enthralling contest,” he said.