Melbourne [Australia], August 18 (ANI): Former Australian cricketer Ian Chappell slammed selectors for their poor calls in the aftermath of the loss to Bangladesh at Darwin, calling for some big changes within the set-up.
While Jake Weatherald has been dropped from the second Test, there are still a lot of questions that the Aussie batting needs to answer during their second Test against Bangladesh at Mackay from August 22, where they would be playing to avoid an embarrassing series whitewash, having lost the first Test at Darwin by nine wickets.
Speaking to nine.com.au, Chappell said, “If you pick the wrong people in the first place, you can get into trouble.”
“With their selections, they have shown to me that they do not understand things very well.”
“To me, it is the selectors who’ve got themselves into this problem. Now they have got to try and find a way out. But I am not convinced that they’re good enough to find a way out,” he continued.
Chappell also wants to recall young opener Sam Konstas, who was dropped after a disastrous West Indies tour last year, to return and partner Renshaw at the top, allowing Travis Head to return to his much-productive middle-order slot.
He also said that the selectors should not persist any longer with Marnus Labuschagne at number three; needing no more evidence of his struggles, they should urge Steve Smith to move up to the one-down spot.
Since his final Test ton against England during the Ashes tour to the UK in 2023, Marnus has been averaging 25.23 in Tests, having made just 959 runs across 42 innings, with only nine fifties to his name, with a best score of 90. Patches of brilliance have been there, but with a series against Bangladesh at stake, time seems to be running out for Australia’s premier number three.
Chappell also lambasted selectors’ decision of have all-rounder Beau Webster bat at number seven, despite his average of late 30s and 14 first-class centuries.
“He is there to make centuries, and you are batting him at seven. What is that? That is bulls**t,” Chappell said.
While there is hype around Victoria’s rising stars Campbell Kellaway and Oliver Peake, Chappell does not feel they are ready for Tests. Kellaway, 23, averages 31.52 after 44 FC matches, while 19-year-old Peake averages 26 after 14 FC matches.
“I think Kellaway and Peake have got talent, but are they ready? I’m not too sure about that,” Chappell said.
“If you look at their Shield record, averages in the 20s should not get you into an Australian side,” he added.
He was also very scathing in his assessment of Nathan McSweeney, who had a rough Test outing against India in the 2024/25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, scoring just 72 runs in three Tests and making just 477 runs in 19 innings across 10 Sheffield Shield matches last season, with just a ton and two fifties.
“He’s not a Test player,” Chappell signed off. (ANI)
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