Galle [Sri Lanka], January 23 (ANI): Former Australian captain Michael Clarke said on Thursday that Australia should not tinker with their batting order that won them the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India at home and continue playing in-form Travis Head in the middle-order while letting youngster Sam Konstas open the innings during the tour to Sri Lanka, starting from January 29 onwards.
With the ICC World Test Championship final spot against South Africa already sealed, Australia would be heading to Sri Lanka in the most relaxed state of mind possible, with the first Test of two starting at Galle from January 29 onwards.
Australia is reportedly considering shuffling their order keeping Sri Lanka’s spinning conditions in mind, with Travis Head opening the innings with Usman Khawaja, which will keep Konstas out of the playing eleven after an exciting start to his career at Melbourne during the Boxing Day Test which saw him fearlessly tonk Jasprit Bumrah.
Clarke however feels such move is not needed, since Australia has the WTC final spot already.
“I think he [Konstas] would be happy to play. I do not think we need too much change in terms of structure. We have just come off a win. Conditions are very different but Trav (Travis) has been extraordinary through the middle order,” Clarke said, according to Sydney Morning Herald.
Clarke also advised the Aussies to get used to facing spin bowling irrespective of their batting position. He also termed Konstas an “enormous talent”.
“Sam is an enormous talent and I think Australian cricket continues to produce young, talented players in men’s and women’s cricket. You learn so many things by having good senior players around you. Sam is one of the examples where he is lucky to have these senior players around him,” he said.
Clarke said that the inclusion of Steve Smith, who is recovering well from a small elbow injury scare, would be a massive boost for Australia, who are without their regular captain Pat Cummins due to birth of his child. Smith has been named the captain for the series.
“He is so important for us over there in those conditions with the way he plays spin and his knowledge of the game,” Clarke said about Smith.
He also said that he would be surprised if Sri Lanka plays more than two pacers and could play just one fast bowler. “There’s some youngsters around [the Australian setup] to learn the ropes … and see Sri Lankan conditions. It is very different to anywhere else in the world,” he added.
On his induction into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame as its 64th member, said that, “Cricket started as a six-year-old boy for me. I retired at 34, so it was my life. It is still a part of my life. It’s definitely special for me, don’t get me wrong, but I think it is just as special for your family.”
Australia Squad: Steve Smith (c), Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cooper Connolly, Travis Head (vc), Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Matt Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Nathan McSweeney, Todd Murphy, Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster
-Sri Lanka Test series v Australia
January 29 to February 2 – Galle
February 6 to Feburary 10 – Galle. (ANI)
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