Australian opener Matt Short says he won’t change his aggressive approach at the top of the order after Ian Healy accused him and others of letting egos get in the way of their batting exploits and treating Monday’s opening one-day international match against Pakistan like a “schoolyard” fixture.
Australia sneaked home for a two-wicket win at the MCG in a tricky run chase which saw No.9 Pat Cummins’ unbeaten 32 help the home side reel in Pakistan’s moderate total of 203.
However, despite Australia reaching the target with 99 balls to spare, Healy was far from impressed as he launched a blistering attack on shot selections made by Australia’s frontline batsmen.
Steve Smith (44 from 46 balls) and Josh Inglis (49 from 42) were the only two batsmen in the top eight to make more than 16.
“The [Australian] boys’ egos weren’t able to be put away for even half an hour,” Healy, the former Australian wicketkeeper, said on SEN Radio on Tuesday morning. “Smith and Inglis did it and then Pat Cummins had to do it and they won.
“We are looking to play this game properly. They’re treating it like schoolyard [cricket].
Josh Inglis after being dismissed just short of his half century. Credit: AP
“It just wasn’t good enough last night. We won, just, with 17 overs to spare.
“Our shot selection was poor and to me, the juniors, Matt Short (1) and Jake Fraser-McGurk (16), were [playing] like schoolyard bullies. That’s not good enough from a cricket system that invests a lot more than it looks.”
Short, who wasn’t asked specifically about Healy’s comments the morning after the match, admitted the run chase was “a bit close for comfort” but didn’t regret the manner in which Australia went about it.
Pat Cummins takes Australia home.Credit: Getty Images
“A bit of a shaky start but we’ve got a license to go out there with freedom, myself and Jake Fraser-McGurk,” Short told reporters on Tuesday. “I’m not going to go into my shell or anything like that. I’ll keep going out there and playing aggressive cricket. It should pay off at some point.”
Healy’s main source of frustration was that, in his opinion, Australia didn’t sum up conditions well enough, despite the team registering their 16th win from 18 matches stretching back to the 50-over World Cup in India.
“Mitch Starc in the innings break said [the pitch] was two-paced and a little bit uneven in bounce. So what do we do? Go out and slog the Pakistani bowlers all over the place,” Healy said.
“[The batsmen] didn’t learn anything from what the bowlers had told them, they didn’t regard the opposition enough. [There was] disregard for the conditions.”
But Australia’s World Cup win in India last year was based largely around taking an aggressive approach to the opening Powerplay to score as many runs as possible while the ball was new. The Champions Trophy next year will be played in similar conditions in Pakistan.
“It’s a direction from the coaching staff to just go out there and play your natural game, which Australia have been pretty fortunate in recent times to have top order batters who are really aggressive and can get the team off to a flyer,” Short told this masthead before the series.
“So it’s backing our skills and always take the positive option – especially up the top, David Warner in the past, Travis Head and Mitch Marsh, guys like that, when they’re taking the positive option they’re probably getting into the best positions they can.
“The coaching staff say ‘you’re in the team for a reason’ and there’s no reason why I should play a different game. I find with my game to take positive options is the best option, and that’s what they’re looking for to try and make the most of the two out in the Powerplay and get the team off to a good start.”
During his playing days, Healy made 201 runs in 25 ODIs against Pakistan at an average of 14.35. Of those matches played at home, Australia won 11 of 19 (58 per cent).
Ian Healy in action for Australia in 1995. Credit: Michael Rayner
Australian players flew to Adelaide on Tuesday ahead of Friday’s second ODI. The third and final 50-over match takes place on Sunday in Perth.
Australia’s next major 50-over assignment is the ICC Champions Trophy in Pakistan in February and March next year. The tournament hasn’t been played since 2017.
“We have got a lot to learn, no question, in the one-day game,” Healy said. “We are gearing up [for] a Champions Trophy, so there aren’t many selection trials for this team before that will have to be selected.”
‘Stay on top of him’: Boland targeting Indian star
Scott Boland will be out to put an Indian star on the back foot at the MCG from Thursday, and has endorsed David Warner’s blunt technical assessment of his former Test opening partner Cameron Bancroft.
As part of his preparation for the Indian summer, Boland will turn out for Australia A in a game that will serve as the last chance for batting contenders to press their cases to accompany Usman Khawaja at the top of the Test order.
KL Rahul.Credit: Reuters
Sam Konstas, Bancroft and Marcus Harris batted first at the team’s main training session in Melbourne on Tuesday morning, as A team captain and Test team frontrunner Nathan McSweeney waited his turn.
Selectors are yet to announce their preferred batting order for Thursday but sources speaking on the condition of anonymity said McSweeney is likely to open in the match.
Boland has a higher profile batting target than previously thought in this game, after India’s management sent KL Rahul and Dhruv Jurel to Australia early to play this week. Rahul has a poor record in Australia, averaging 20.77 from five Tests here, but he did make a century at the SCG in 2015.
“I was lucky to bowl to him in a Test over in India a couple of years ago but it’ll be nice to play against him in our backyard,” Boland said. “He’s a world-class player but someone I think we can get on top of pretty early and hopefully stay on top of him for the majority of the summer.
“There’s so much more bounce here, more seam. The way they’ll structure their team will be completely different to what you see over in India.”
Asked to point out who his toughest opponents in domestic cricket had been, Boland volunteered Test team incumbent Usman Khawaja as the standout.
Warner stated on Fox Cricket that Bancroft worried Australian team thinkers because of a tendency to have his front foot moving in the direction of point on the off side, making him vulnerable to lbw or an edge into the slips cordon against bowlers of higher pace than most in the Sheffield Shield. Boland did not disagree.
“We’ve played quite a few games against WA with Shield finals and things like that, so we’ve had some really good battles against Cam and our planning hasn’t changed too much over the last couple of years,” Boland said.
“Against him we’re trying to hit the top of middle and off stump, I feel like when I’m bowling well I can be in the game on both sides [of the bat] against him, but he’s got really soft hands, he plays the ball really late, he’s scored a lot of runs against us in the last couple of years.
Scott Boland knocked over Steve Smith at the MCG earlier this season.Credit: Getty Images
“He’s going through a bit of a lean patch now, but he’s banged out so many runs over the last 12 months that he should still be confident going into this game.”
As for fellow Victorian Marcus Harris, who Warner pointed to as the most likely reserve batter to accompany McSweeney to Perth, Boland said the 32-year-old was doing his best to shrug off the “stressful” nature of a public duel for selection.
“I think it would be stressful,” Boland said. “I feel like he’s hitting it really well, he’s still the same guy you see in the dressing room, making jokes, having a laugh, but he still goes out and trains hard. If he can get himself in the contest this week he’ll be fine.
“Harry’s started off the year really well, got a couple of nice starts last week in Mackay. I’m sure he would’ve been kicking himself that he didn’t go on with it. When Harry gets in, he makes big hundreds, and it’d be nice to get some runs at home for him at the G this week.
“It looks like he’s playing the ball down the ground really well, and I think that’s pretty important as an opening batter.”
