Former Test stars Stuart Clark and Michael Clarke say Australian selectors have backed themselves into a corner in India after dropping Travis Head, and picking two off-spinners.
Australia was thumped by an innings in Nagpur with Head sitting on the sidelines, while debutant Todd Murphy was the tourists’ best player, taking 7-124.
The dire result suggests change is necessary, but Clark and Clarke say that selectors are hamstrung ahead of the second Test, starting Friday.
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Matthew Kuhnemann has been parachuted into the squad as an option to spin the ball away from right-handers, but fitting him into the XI is tough given Murphy’s strong performance.
Clark said that selectors now can’t leave out off-spinner Murphy, but can’t drop veteran Nathan Lyon either.
“I’ve watched a little bit of him (Kuhnemann) bowl in domestic cricket,” Clark said on Sky Sports Radio’s Big Sports Breakfast. “He’s a pretty good bowler, and he would be hard work and he offers a bit of variety.
“But that means you’ve got to either play three spinners — I’m not sure they’re going to do that — or you’ve got to leave out Nathan Lyon. I’m pretty sure they’re not going to do that.
“Todd Murphy obviously did really well, so you can’t leave him out.”
Former Australia captain Clarke agreed, adding: “Our spinners did a good job but I don’t know if two offies is the right balance for us as well.
“But as Stuey just said, how do you drop one of them? You can’t.”
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Kuhnemann rushed into Test squad | 00:50
Clark feels that selectors are similarly stuck in regards to Head, who was sensationally axed for the first Test despite averaging almost 90 during the home summer.
Outrage about Head’s omission has been widespread with several former players, including Allan Border, Steve Waugh, Matthew Hayden and Mitchell Johnson, all questioning why he was axed.
Clark also believes it was the wrong call, but says the path forward is now murky.
“I think they’ve painted themselves into a corner where it’s very difficult to change the team,” he said.
“It’s such a corner that they’re almost stuck and unless they get some injury relief — ie. Mitchell Starc and Cameron Green come back — I don’t see how they can make any changes without looking like, A; there’s a massive over-reaction to what happened in the first game, or two; accepting they got it wrong, and I don’t think they want to do either of those.”
Clarke said that selectors should’ve started the series with Head instead of Matthew Renshaw.
He added that coach Andrew McDonald’s defence of Australia’s selections and game plan after the first Test has only made things trickier.
“Travis Head at No.5, if you start with him and it doesn’t work, then you can make a change,” he said.
“Now, they either shoot themselves in the foot if they drop Matthew Renshaw because they say ‘okay, we made a mistake’, and Andrew McDonald has come out and said ‘we haven’t made a mistake’.
“They’ve put themselves in such a tough position.”
AB: What the hell is going on?! | 01:35
Meanwhile, Clark rejected recent suggestions that Head could be used as an opener alongside Usman Khawaja, with David Warner — who also has a poor record in Asia — coming out.
He added that Australia arrived in India underprepared, calling out the lack of a tour match in particular.
“I think the bit that gets me about it all is – and we talked about it before the series started – were they as well prepared as they could be? And the general consensus, if you talk to anyone on the street, is ‘no, they weren’t,” he said.
“No practice game, no tour match, turn up … and got dusted in a manner people are pretty disappointed about.
“Say what you want, they got smoked. India are a pretty good team in their country, but I just don’t think they were prepared well enough.”
