Allan Border calls for Aussies to shine with the bat

Former Australian skipper Allan Border aka ‘Captain Grumpy’ has called for the Australian batsmen to come good with the bat. Border’s calls come following the demoralizing loss at the hands of the Sri Lankans in the first Test match of the series at Pallekele.

Moreover, the fact that upsets Allan Border the most would perhaps be that the Australians were on the ascendancy in the beginning of the match only to run out of steam and run into a roadblock in the context of the Sri Lankan spinners.

Speaking to Fox Sports, Border stated that getting runs on the board in subcontinent conditions. “We’re not going to win games in the sub-continent when we score 360 runs across two innings,” Border told foxsports.com.au on Tuesday (August 2).

“We’ve got to do a better job with the bat and if that means more specialist batting in the line-up and backing our four bowlers to get our wickets then so be it. It’s not our usual method but we’ve got to find a better method for these pitches.”

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Border also went on to criticize the selection policy of the Australian side, questioning the need for having three seam bowlers in the XI.  “Do we need both Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc or even Mitchell Marsh? If he’s the best No.6, fair enough but if he’s not, maybe you’ve got to pick another batsman,” he said.

“We went in with three quicks (Starc, Hazlewood, and Mitchell Marsh) and Mitchell Marsh barely bowled. Is that how Australia is best served? We’ve got to ask if Shaun Marsh is a better player than Mitchell Marsh or Josh Hazlewood for this eleven in these conditions.”

We’ve got to get more overs out of (Adam) Voges and (Steve) Smith, because even though they’re part-timers they land them pretty well on pitches that turn a bit,” he said. “They were totally underused in that last game.

“In Australia where the wickets are pretty flat, it might be a waste of time bowling those two but on a pitch that’s offering a bit of turn even I become a good bowler,” he added.

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