Ian Healy Slams Australian Batting Approach in Victory Over Pakistan
Australia’s former wicketkeeper Ian Healy was very unimpressed with Australia’s batting display in their recent ODI victory over Pakistan at the MCG. Though Australia won the match by two wickets while chasing a small total of Pakistan 204, Healy criticized the team greatly and focused on the bad mentality some of them had like ‘schoolyard’. The win, which came with 17 overs to spare, has raised questions on the preparation of Australia ahead of the Champions Trophy.
Batting Approach Under Scanner
Healy scrutinized the Australian batting lineup for poor performance and laid special emphasis on their inability to handle tough situations. During the interview on SENQ, he named and shamed Matt Short and Jake Fraser-McGurk for playing ‘like schoolyard bullies,’ adding that they ignored the two-paced pitch that the bowlers complained about during the interval.
Even when they had the better overs in hand, the Australians were very attacking and this almost proved costly for them. The match reached a stage where they needed input from an aggressive player like Josh Inglis and he had to reign himself in, and similarly with Steve Smith who also needed to calm it down. Their innings too ended with what Healy called ‘false shots’ thereby again reinforcing the team’s overall weak batting.
Future Series Implications
Healy pointed out that with the forthcoming Champions Trophy in mind, these games have to be used for the appropriate preparation and not treated like friendly ones. The former wicketkeeper said that there is not much time left for the selection and hence such performances are important for the selectors. The next match will be the second ODI on Friday in Adelaide, the final ODI is then on Sunday in Perth.
The overrate intervention from Pat Cummins decided the outcome of the game but there is still more to question about the team. The remaining three T20s will complete the series and will offer Australia the chance to work on their batting troubles as well as present another chance to create a better strategy against quality opposition.
