Australian cricket legend Allan Border has revealed his preferred team to take on India in the second Test in Delhi, while slamming the selectors for the ‘really wrong’ decision to omit Travis Head for the first Test.
“I thought he must have been crook or injured himself …. I just couldn’t believe that Travis Head could be left just on a whim that he didn’t play very well in India last time or when they were in Sri Lanka or whatever,” Border said on SEN 1170 Breakfast.
“That’s maybe a case, but you’re allowed to improve, and Travis Head is one of those players that has improved and he showed that during the summer.
“He deserved the opportunity to play in that First Test match no doubt it about, I think they got that selection really wrong.”
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The Fox Cricket expert added that the tactics and approach of the team was similarly troubled, with the team seemingly distracted by the focus on India’s selective pitch maintenance in the build-up to the opening Test in Nagpur.
“I think we overthought some of the stuff, worrying about all the little gremlins about the pitch, if they’ve been doctored or this and that. That’s what you expect when you go over there. They overthought it, and they got the plans and the team wrong in the first game.”
As for the next Test, Border believes David Warner should retain his position – but needs to deliver or risk being axed later in the series.
“We could (see Warner dropped this series). I don’t like to say it because he’s been so good for us … we just need to see something more from him at the top of the order.
“You’re still going to play him in this Test match. But it’s starting to get to the point where you say David might have to move on. That could happen very soon.”
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Border added that Australia needs to make significant changes to the approach to selection and tactics.
“We tend to look at the pitches that are gonna turn and say we should play with a couple of spinners. I’m a bit the other way – I think we should go with our strengths, go with our fast bowlers, bowl with certain plans to their batsman, subtle different changes of tactics, and play with the three quicks and just the one spinner.
“That formula has worked for us generally. And when we’ve done in India in the past, it’s on the back of (Glenn) McGrath, (Michael) Kasprowicz, Jason Gillespie – these guys. Fast bowlers doing a really good job for us and getting the 20 wickets.”
As for which spinner should be dropped from the line-up in that scenario, Border said: “That’s the million dollar question. You’ve got to go with (Nathan) Lyon, he’s built up enough brownie points over the years to be the first picked.
“Well done to young (Todd) Murphy, it’s going to be a tough decision to leave him out, I know the wicket is going to turn but I just reckon the formula for us to be successful (is) three quickies and one spinner.
“Really work hard on your field positions … Just bowl stump to stump and be relentless with that sort of tactic, I think that is going to be better for us than trying to beat them with spin, we’ve tried that forever and ever, and it hasn’t worked.
“That formula to me just isn’t working, and we need to go back to what does work and that is with the quickies.”
BORDER’S SECOND TEST XI
David Warner
Usman Khawaja
Travis Head
Marnus Labuschagne
Steve Smith
Peter Handscomb
Cameron Green (if fit)
Alex Carey
Pat Cummins
Nathan Lyon
Josh Hazlewood (if fit)
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