Tubby's worrying prediction for struggling Smith

1 year ago 71

India has recorded its 4th consecutive 2-1 bid triumph implicit Australia, meaning India keeps the Border-Gavaskar Trophy that its held since 2017.

For Australia, attraction present turns to the World Test Championship final, besides against India, that volition beryllium played astatine The Oval successful June.

That volition beryllium followed by the Ashes, wherever Australia volition beryllium seeking a archetypal bid triumph successful England since Steve Waugh's 2001 side.

LIVE UPDATES: Eels merchandise Origin guardant to NRL rival

Wide World of Sports spoke to erstwhile skipper Mark Taylor for his thoughts connected immoderate of the large questions facing the team.

Where is Steve Smith at?

Smith averaged 29 for the bid and didn't scope 40 successful immoderate of his innings. He besides (once again) made comments that suggested his clip successful the Australian squad could beryllium limited.

"It's ever hard to work Steve," Taylor said.

"He's not 1 of these guys that's driven by stats. He's driven by the enjoyment helium gets by trying to marque arsenic galore runs arsenic helium can, and evidently winning Test matches.

"If the broadside is playing good and helium feels similar he's enjoying his batting, he'll support playing.

"But I besides fishy the infinitesimal that stops, helium mightiness conscionable say, 'That volition bash me'.

"I don't cognize erstwhile that's going to be. Ideally you'd similar him to bash the Ashes, which I deliberation helium will, and past astatine slightest the adjacent Australian summer. But it wouldn't astonishment maine if helium got to the extremity of the adjacent Australian summertime and decided to telephone it a day. He'll beryllium 34 then, truthful it wouldn't astonishment me.

"Only helium knows wherever he's at, and you consciousness it could alteration successful a game."

How agelong tin Usman Khawaja spell connected for?

The starring runscorer for the bid from either side, Khawaja's fairytale instrumentality to the Test squad continues.

But helium turns 37 successful December, truthful however overmuch longer volition helium instrumentality around?

"In a way, adjacent though Khawaja and David Warner are the aforesaid age, Khawaja is simply a overmuch younger 36, due to the fact that helium hasn't spent arsenic agelong playing planetary cricket, and there's nary uncertainty erstwhile you've played arsenic overmuch arsenic Warner has it tin deterioration you down," Taylor explained.

"Warner's played each 3 formats of the crippled for a agelong time. Khawaja has played 60 Tests, which is astir 40 little than David, and Usman hasn't been successful the white-ball broadside for 4 years.

"David is inactive fit, but it's a batch harder for him having played truthful galore games, and it takes its toll mentally arsenic good arsenic physically. Khawaja's had a fig of periods retired of the team, truthful helium won't consciousness similar a 36-year-old successful immoderate ways.

"You consciousness by the mode that Khawaja is talking that there's immoderate unfinished concern for him. There's nary uncertainty that if helium wants to support playing helium looks to person astatine slightest 18 months oregon 2 years near successful him."

Has Travis Head unlocked the concealed of batting successful India?

Controversially dropped for the archetypal Test, Head past recovered himself promoted to unfastened the batting successful the lack of David Warner. He finished with 235 runs astatine 47.

"The information that Travis got 49 successful that tally pursuit successful Indore and 90 successful Ahmedabad volition boost his assurance adjacent clip Australia goes to India," Taylor said.

"He reminds maine a spot of Warner, helium likes to get bat connected ball, which is not ever the champion mode to play successful India, but if you tin marque it enactment for you there's runs to beryllium had. It comes down to confidence, and close present Travis has that.

"He could surely flourish present arsenic a player. He's cemented his spot, though we said that earlier the archetypal Test and helium someway recovered himself retired of the team! I deliberation he's proven the selectors incorrect by the mode helium played successful India.

"He's present a imperishable subordinate of the team, and though I deliberation he'll beryllium backmost astatine No.5 for the Ashes, he's shown he's flexible capable to unfastened if that's what's required successful definite conditions."

Who opens successful England?

If Taylor thinks Head volition instrumentality to No.5 successful England, that prompts the evident question of who volition unfastened the batting for the Ashes. David Warner famously struggled successful the 2019 series, wherever helium averaged 9.50, and he's ne'er made a Test 100 successful England.

"I deliberation that's a pugnacious question for the selectors," Taylor said.

"We've talked astir staggering the departures of Khawaja and Warner, and isolated from those 2 you've astir apt got Matt Renshaw and Cameron Bancroft adjacent successful line.

"There's nary uncertainty Usman is inked successful for the Ashes, but astatine the infinitesimal I deliberation he's the lone one, and that's arsenic acold arsenic I'll spell connected the subject, due to the fact that what I deliberation doesn't matter.

"I fishy Marcus Harris is retired of the running, truthful it volition travel down to however galore openers the selectors privation to instrumentality to England. Do they instrumentality each 4 of Khawaja, Warner, Renshaw and Bancroft, oregon does 1 of Warner, Renshaw oregon Bancroft miss out? Then it's a substance of figuring retired who plays and who's the understudy.

"That's a determination I'm precise blessed to permission with the selectors."

Just however bully is Cameron Green?

It's hard to judge Cameron Green is inactive lone 23 years old. He's got a Test batting mean of 37 and a bowling mean of 34, and gives the squad the flexibility that's been missing since Shane Watson retired. His maiden period successful Ahmedabad could beryllium the commencement of thing special.

"There's nary uncertainty what helium achieved with that period is precisely what Australian cricket was hoping for," Taylor said.

"He's a much than useful bowler, and that's astir apt understating it, he's a large field, which I love, but until present his batting has looked a spot nervous.

"In a mode it's ironic he's got his archetypal Test 100 successful India, due to the fact that the slower, little pitches determination astir apt don't suit him arsenic much, peculiarly coming from Perth.

"In his erstwhile matches it looked similar helium mightiness person lacked the assurance to instrumentality the bowlers on, which is I deliberation erstwhile helium plays his champion cricket.

"What I saw successful Ahmedabad was a much assertive Cameron Green who enactment the unit connected the bowlers, which I haven't seen capable of from him successful his abbreviated vocation truthful far.

"That 100 should bash him the satellite of good, due to the fact that that's the mode I deliberation he's got to play astatine No.6, beryllium aggressive, not cavalier, but enactment the bowlers nether pressure. I deliberation from present he'll lone get amended and better.

"This could beryllium a watershed infinitesimal for Green, and from an Australian constituent of presumption I surely anticipation so."

Can Josh Hazlewood extremity his wounded misery?

Josh Hazlewood has played lone 3 of Australia's past 18 Tests. There's nary uncertainty that his figures warrant his spot successful the broadside erstwhile he's fit, but with the Ashes to beryllium played implicit specified a choky schedule, tin Australia hazard him?

"The interest for maine is Josh hasn't played the magnitude of cricket successful the past 18 months that we each would person liked for him to person played," Taylor said.

"That's truly disappointing. None of america cognize precisely what's going on. Fast bowlers getting injured is thing new, that's a given, but helium seems to travel back, helium hardly plays and past he's got different injury. I don't cognize wherever each these injuries are coming from.

"That's a interest for me, and I'm not privy to each the accusation to cognize what the reply is. I'm definite Josh would privation to play a batch much than he's played.

"You fishy we'll spot pitches successful England that volition bash a bit. He's the cleanable bowler for those conditions.

"The Ashes is truly condensed erstwhile again, truthful they'll astir apt spell successful with a rotation program for the accelerated bowlers, similar 2019, but they should beryllium flexible to set that if the concern warrants it.

"Australia needs to attack this bid with the extremity of winning 3 Test matches, due to the fact that you suspect, unless there's a batch of rain, that there'll beryllium 5 results. England are going to play for a result, and I deliberation Australia volition also.

"There's each chance, barring a bedewed summer, that we get 5 results."

Did 1 atrocious league outgo Australia the series?

Steve Smith lamented an "hour of madness" successful Delhi that outgo Australia that match, and astir apt the series. But it's a mistake that plentifulness of Australian teams person made connected the subcontinent.

"It's a mistake that's not casual to correct," Taylor said.

"Like everything successful life, it's easier to speech astir it than to really bash it. When you're playing connected turning wickets, it's similar playing connected large seaming wickets successful England wherever you tin suffer 7 wickets successful a session. You cognize it's a accidental of happening, but however bash you halt it?

"You tin speech astir it, admit it, but you've inactive got a find a mode to combat it. It's easier spoken astir than achieved.

"If you look backmost astatine the series, Australia played precise good for the bulk of the series. It's just to accidental they had arsenic bully a clip arsenic India did, but that 1 league successful Delhi, erstwhile they were 60 successful beforehand with 9 wickets successful manus but collapsed successful a heap, it outgo them the series.

"It was that close. I don't deliberation Australia should beryllium disappointed with the series. They'll beryllium disappointed they didn't triumph it, of course, but that's sport."

For a regular dose of the champion of the breaking quality and exclusive contented from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!