Former captains slam Aussie batting in India
SYDNEY: Former Australian cricket captains Allan Border and Michael Clarke on Monday denounced the team’s batting performance against India, calling the second innings collapse “panicky” and ill-executed.
Spin bowler Ravindra Jadeja took 7-42 as he tore through Australia’s batting in the second Test in Delhi on Sunday to enable India to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the four-match series.
Australia repeatedly employed cross-bat sweep shots on a turning Dehli wicket and paid the price as they tumbled to 113 all out in their second innings.
“I’m disappointed, I’m shell-shocked and angry about the way we went about our work,” Border told Fox News.
“It was a panicky, frenetic sort of batting,” said Border.
Australian captain Pat Cummins said the post-match team review would look at why his players kept employing the sweep, accelerating their collapse.
Cummins was among Jadeja’s victims as four Australian wickets fell for no runs with the score on 95.
Set 115 to win, India cruised to a six-wicket win in less than 27 overs.
“They were all getting out playing sweep shots, reverse sweeps and playing just about every ball,” said Border, 67.
“No one got in there and tried to stem the flow with just some good defensive cricket,” he said.
“You just can’t get away with it on that sort of track.”
Clarke echoed Border’s criticism.
“They’re not the right conditions to sweep when you start your innings,” Clarke told Sky Sports radio.
“And they’re never going to be the right conditions to reverse sweep against the spin at the start of your innings.”
Published in Dawn, February 21st, 2023
