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Former Australian captain Michael Clarke has fiercely criticized the national selectors for dropping Nathan McSweeney midway through the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India. McSweeney, who was handed the opening role earlier in the series, has been replaced by Sam Kontas for the final two Tests.
McSweeney’s dismissal comes after a series of underwhelming performances, with scores of 10, 0, 39, 10, 9, and 4 across six innings. However, Clarke believes the selectors should have persisted with the young opener instead of making a hasty decision.
“Nathan McSweeney has been dropped. I can’t believe that,” Clarke said on the Beyond 23 Cricket podcast. “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 was especially critical of chief selector George Bailey and questioned the logic behind McSweeney’s omission, given the struggles of several senior players in the side.
“We’ve got Usman Khawaja who is 38 years old, and he’s made no runs. He’s a senior player,” Clarke pointed out. “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.”
Clarke expressed concerns about Australia’s long-term plans for the opening position, particularly with Khawaja nearing retirement.
“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,'” Clarke remarked.
Despite his reservations, Clarke wished Kontas well ahead of a potential debut at the MCG.
“I hope he walks out there, lives his dream, makes a hundred on debut. Something like that would be amazing,” Clarke concluded.
The fourth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy is set to begin on December 26 in Melbourne, with the series currently tied at 1-1.
Australia squad: Pat Cummins (c), Travis Head (vc), Steve Smith (vc), Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Jhye Richardson, Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster
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