Former Test stars Stuart Clark and Michael Clarke say Australian selectors have backed themselves right into a nook in India after dropping Travis Head, and choosing two off-spinners.
Australia was thumped by an innings in Nagpur with Head sitting on the sidelines, whereas debutant Todd Murphy was the vacationers’ greatest participant, taking 7-124.
The dire consequence suggests change is important, however Clark and Clarke say that selectors are hamstrung forward of the second Test, beginning Friday.
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Matthew Kuhnemann has been parachuted into the squad as an choice to spin the ball away from right-handers, however becoming him into the XI is hard given Murphy’s sturdy efficiency.
Clark mentioned that selectors now can’t omit off-spinner Murphy, however can’t drop veteran Nathan Lyon both.
“I’ve watched a little bit of him (Kuhnemann) bowl in domestic cricket,” Clark mentioned on Sky Sports Radio’s Big Sports Breakfast. “He’s a pretty good bowler, and he would be hard work and he offers a bit of variety.
“But that means you’ve got to either play three spinners — I’m not sure they’re going to do that — or you’ve got to leave out Nathan Lyon. I’m pretty sure they’re not going to do that.
“Todd Murphy obviously did really well, so you can’t leave him out.”
Former Australia captain Clarke agreed, including: “Our spinners did a good job but I don’t know if two offies is the right balance for us as well.
“But as Stuey just said, how do you drop one of them? You can’t.”
Clark feels that selectors are equally caught with reference to Head, who was sensationally axed for the primary Test regardless of averaging nearly 90 throughout the house summer time.
Outrage about Head’s omission has been widespread with a number of former gamers, together with Allan Border, Steve Waugh, Matthew Hayden and Mitchell Johnson, all questioning why he was axed.
Clark additionally believes it was the mistaken name, however says the trail ahead is now murky.
“I think they’ve painted themselves into a corner where it’s very difficult to change the team,” he mentioned.
“It’s such a corner that they’re almost stuck and unless they get some injury relief — ie. Mitchell Starc and Cameron Green come back — I don’t see how they can make any changes without looking like, A; there’s a massive over-reaction to what happened in the first game, or two; accepting they got it wrong, and I don’t think they want to do either of those.”
Clarke mentioned that selectors ought to’ve began the sequence with Head as an alternative of Matthew Renshaw.
He added that coach Andrew McDonald’s defence of Australia’s choices and recreation plan after the primary Test has solely made issues trickier.
“Travis Head at No.5, if you start with him and it doesn’t work, then you can make a change,” he mentioned.
“Now, they either shoot themselves in the foot if they drop Matthew Renshaw because they say ‘okay, we made a mistake’, and Andrew McDonald has come out and said ‘we haven’t made a mistake’.
“They’ve put themselves in such a tough position.”
Meanwhile, Clark rejected current strategies that Head could possibly be used as an opener alongside Usman Khawaja, with David Warner — who additionally has a poor report in Asia — popping out.
He added that Australia arrived in India underprepared, calling out the dearth of a tour match specifically.
“I think the bit that gets me about it all is – and we talked about it before the series started – were they as well prepared as they could be? And the general consensus, if you talk to anyone on the street, is ‘no, they weren’t,” he mentioned.
“No practice game, no tour match, turn up … and got dusted in a manner people are pretty disappointed about.
“Say what you want, they got smoked. India are a pretty good team in their country, but I just don’t think they were prepared well enough.”
Originally printed as ‘They’re caught’: Aussies’ dire India actuality laid naked as selectors ‘backed into a corner’
Source: www.dailytelegraph.com.au
