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Australia's start to the 2023 World Cup went from bad to worse as they succumbed to a massive 134-run loss against South Africa in Lucknow on Thursday, October 12.
South Africa posted a challenging target of 312 for the Aussies and it just got tougher to bat under lights with the Protea speedsters getting the ball to nip around. What was disheartening to see from an Australian point of view is that they couldn't even compete, losing six wickets for just 70 runs up top and later got bundled out for 177.
Some of the former cricketers and cricket experts were disappointed to see Australia being defensive in the World Cup, a stage where they have dominated the most over the years. Here are some of the reactions:
#5 Salman Butt
Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt claimed that Australia just doesn't have the strength in their squad to challenge for the 2023 World Cup title. He too shed light on the lack of specialist spinners in the squad and also quality batters, opining that there were too many all-rounders.
Here's what Butt said in a video on his YouTube channel:
"Australia don't have the combination that can win a World Cup. Yes, it's cricket after all, and anything can happen, but they are not a contender to win the World Cup. It is quite evident that this isn't the same mighty Australian team of the past. They have had scores of 199 and 177 so far. Their batting is weak, and to make matters worse, they lack quality spinners as well."
Butt reckons the Aussies are a bit too dependent on the likes of David Warner and Steve Smith, and feels that perhaps picking Usman Khawaja and Nathan Lyon with their experience could have helped them.
#4 Mark Taylor
Mark Taylor believes there's a lot of uncertainty in the Australian camp and that they haven't been able to answer some important questions pertaining to their squad and their approach. He questioned the decision to bowl first and also the fact that neither of the batters could stand up to the challenge.
Here's what the former Australian captain had to say on Nine's Coverage:
"They didn't have to win tonight but the problem is they've been bowled out now in two games for 199 and 177, they haven't even made 200 yet this series. No one's made more than a 40-odd for Australia. We're not sure whether we want to bat first or bowl first in this series, and we're not sure what our team is. So there's a lot of questions to be answered there."
Taylor feels the Aussies will need to find a way to pick themselves up with their backs to the wall if they want to stay in the hunt to reach the semifinals.
#3 Gautam Gambhir
Former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir pointed out a major flaw in the Aussies' World Cup squad. He spoke about how they have just one specialist spinner in Adam Zampa and couldn't believe that they didn't replace the injured Ashton Agar with another spinner.
On this, he told Star Sports:
"It is not a formula, it is the biggest mistake in this tournament. When Ashton Agar was ruled out of the tournament, they should have called a spinner. How can you make such a big mistake?"
Gambhir also believes that Australia picked too many pace-bowling all-rounders for Indian conditions, where quality spinners like Nathan Lyon could have been handy.
#2 Matthew Hayden
Former legendary opener Matthew Hayden was on air when Australia were capitulating in the second innings. He has been a part of some incredibly successful Australian teams and spoke about how their strong mentality is something that has been missing among the Men in Yellow during the World Cup campaign.
Here's what Hayden was quoted as saying on air:
"You had an off-spinner bowling inside ten overs, with no slip, with not really a conscious plan to go, ‘Right, how are we going to get a wicket’. Whenever I think of … Shane Warne, the very first thing that he comes up with is, immediately, how am I trying to get a wicket. And I sense that hasn’t happened with the ball. I sense it also hasn’t happened with the bat either. They are just waiting to be shot down, and they have been.”
Hayden was also a bit disappointed with the lack of aggression shown by Aussie batters against the moving ball as he reckons they just let the Proteas dictate terms to them.
#1 Michael Clarke
Former World Cup-winning captain Michael Clarke was baffled by Pat Cummins' bowling changes against South Africa. He felt that the current skipper's tactical blunders meant that the Aussies couldn't strike early.
Here's what he was quoted as saying by Fox Sports:
“I fought harder than anyone for Pat Cummins to be Australian captain and I still stand here and say I think he’s the right man for the job but tactically last night I think he got it wrong again. He won the toss and bowled, I think he ball chased and I don’t think he was aggressive enough. I don’t think he looked to take wickets."
Clarke also couldn't believe that Alex Carey was dropped after just one game in the 2023 World Cup and thought that they should have kept faith in the southpaw.
