Following a disastrous run in the Sri Lanka Tests, Australian batsman Adam Voges has called for faith from the selectors when the upcoming summer kicks off in his hometown of Perth. In an interview with EON Sports Radio, the 36-year old admitted to being flummoxed by Rangana Herath’s craftiness on vicious turners in the subcontinent and hoped for a change in fortunes when the home season begins.
Voges enthused, “The first home Test for the summer is here at the WACA and obviously conditions are fairly different to what we've just experienced. I take a lot of confidence out of what I was able to do last summer and hopefully get that opportunity here in Perth at my home ground – somewhere that I've grown up playing and know the conditions really well.”
He added, “I've given the selectors the opportunity to leave me out if they wanted to, with how I've performed in Sri Lanka. Hopefully, they keep the faith with me. I still think I've got plenty to offer. I take a lot of confidence out of what I was able to do last summer and really the form and the run that I've had over the last couple of years. Hopefully, the last three Tests have just been a small blip on what's been a pretty good couple of years.”
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One of the chief reasons for their 0-3 whitewash was the inability of Australia’s batsmen to adapt to the deteriorating surfaces in Sri Lanka. Entering into the tour with an improbable Test average of 95.50, Voges saw it cut down to 72.75 after he managed only 118 runs from 6 innings. During four of those instances, the right-hander was dismissed by the experienced Herath who prised out as many as 28 wickets.
On the difficulty of playing the left-arm spinner on conducive conditions, Voges felt, “We didn't have a lot of answers for him, to be honest. He has very subtle variations with his release points, his pace, where he stands on the wicket. But ultimately, the ball seems to end up relatively in the same area. Some spin, some don't. And he's just very crafty. In conditions that suit him. Like they did over there, he's certainly a handful.”
Australia have a 3-Test series scheduled against South Africa from November 3 before they take on Pakistan in another 3-Test series at home.
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