Cricket News
‘Australian team punched themselves in the mouth’, says Former Australia Captain on Pat Cummins and Co.’s humiliating performance in BGT 2023
Australia’s tour to India has been disastrous till now. In the four-match Test series, Visitors are down by 0-2 while half a dozen of players are unavailable due to various injuries making things worse for the team. However, Team selection and using of bowlers during the game were also one of the biggest concerns for the team. The team has been unable to understand the pitch and the conditions in India. Now, former Australia Captain Greg Chappell has criticized the team for poor performance.
According to Chappell, Aussies picked a lot of spinners in panic and forget about their pace battery. Notably, After being hammered by innings and 132 runs in Nagpur, Australia decided to go in with only one pacer in Delhi – skipper Pat Cummins.
In a column for Sydney Morning, a former India Coach said, It was Mike Tyson who said in the lead-up to a fight with Evander Holyfield: “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth. My concern after watching the first two Tests is that the Australian team punched themselves in the mouth long before the first ball was even bowled. It is one thing to plan, but to base that plan on a flawed premise is an exercise in futility.”
“Australia needed to play to their strengths to have a chance of winning this series. Spin bowling is not our strength. Picking spinners for the sake of it is not the way to success in India. We had to pick our best bowlers and trust them to do the job and back that with sensible batting, based on sound principles.”
Australia Captain Pat Cummins set to miss Third Test
In a recent blow to the Australian team, Skipper Pat Cummins is ruled out of Third Test due to some family emergencies. Cummins is in Australia with his severely ill mother and is unlikely to join the team before the 4th Test. However, in his absence star batter, Steven Smith will lead the team. Notably, Pacer Josh Hazelwood and opener David Warner will also miss the final two Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and it will be a tough task for visitors to face India at home.