Craig McDermott reckons not scoring big runs cost Australia

Australia’s series defeat against India has come as a surprise to many, but those who know the visiting side inside out, feel that heavy dependence on top-three batsmen was the biggest reason for the same. Former Australian quick and their current bowling coach, Craig McDermott, believes that inability to score 300-plus totals have made things difficult for the team from down under.

Steve Smith has scored two consecutive fifties and that is the only silver lining so far. However, the half-centuries, too have not been as quick and chanceless as Smith would have liked. David Warner’s subcontinental ghosts have returned and he has failed to get a good start and in case he did couldn’t convert. Hilton Cartwright on his debut in India had no idea what happened in the two matches he played, only to be replaced by the preferred opener, Aaron Finch.

While Finch played a stunning hand in the 3rd ODI to score 124, the rest in the top three have underperformed by their own standards.

“We haven’t been able to get big enough scores in India. We needed to get 300-plus totals in those conditions and we just haven’t been able to reach that,” the bowling coach told Sportstar from Brisbane on Monday afternoon.

McDermott, who worked with the Australian team during its World Cup win in 2015, also admitted that with Smith and Warner unable to strike form, the Aussie batting attack has looked insipid.

“We are heavily dependent upon (Aaron) Finch, Smith and Warner. So, two out of the three doesn’t get runs, it makes difficult for us to get past 300. In India, If you don’t get above that (300-plus runs), it gets difficult,” he said.

High praise for Cummins

While Nathan Coulter-Nile has done well for the Aussies in the bowling department with 7 wickets in 3 matches under his name, McDermott is impressed with the way Pat Cummins has performed.

“You don’t have Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood in bowling line-up. So, you haven’t got whole pair upfront. Pat Cummins has really bowled well in Bangladesh, and decent in India, but the other players need to come around and step up,” the former bowling coach added.

Having lost the series, the Men in Yellow will hope to show some steel when they take the field for the fourth ODI in Bengaluru on Thursday as they will play for glory.