Michael Clarke has been a towering presence for Australian cricket both on and off the pitch. Not only that, he has been a vocal critic of team management and players whenever he feels the need to do so. Something of a similar sort happened recently after Australian selectors dropped opening batter Nathan McSweeney and decided to call on 19-year-old opener Sam Konstas for remaining two Test matches of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy between India and Australia.
Michael Clarke’s fuming remarks over dropping McSweeney
While McSweeney’s performances in the first three Test matches have been disappointing, Clarke thinks that the youngster should have been given the entire series to prove his place in the Australian squad. Questioning the decision of the chief Australian selector George Bailey, the former Australian captain talked about it on the Beyond 23 Cricket podcast and said, “Nathan McSweeney has been dropped. I can’t believe that. No matter who they picked in that opening position, they had to give them the series. I think the selectors have got this wrong.”
Clarke isn’t the only stalwart of Australian cricket to have questioned Bailey’s decision to drop McSweeney, former Australian cricketer Darren Lehmann had also questioned Bailey’s decision making abilities as a selector recently.
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Clarke raises questions on senior players’ presence in the Australian squad
Questioning the intent of those currently making decisions for Australian cricket, Clarke further pointed out the lack of future planning on selectors’ end. The 43-year-old questioned the presence of some senior players who are struggling with the form.
“We’ve got Usman Khawaja who is 38 years old, and he’s made no runs. He’s a senior player. We’ve got Marnus Labuschagne, who before the series was under pressure and has made one decent score. Steve Smith batted like a genius to make a hard-fought hundred, but he’s also been under pressure. Everyone apart from McSweeney is over 30 years of age, some in their high 30s. What happens if Usman Khawaja retires in two Test matches? Does McSweeney then come back in, or does he go to the back of the queue? They’ve got to come out and say, ‘We made a mistake picking him,” added Clarke.
Australia and India will clash at the Melbourne Cricket Ground once again for the fourth Test match of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy which is currently level at 1-1. While India emerged victorious in the first Test at Perth, Aussies made a comeback in Adelaide. The third Test in Brisbane ended in a draw.
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