Legendary Australia cricketer unhappy with Indian Cricket Board ahead of India vs Australia Test series
Former Australian wicketkeeper Ian Healy has taken a swipe at India ahead of the upcoming Border Gavaskar Trophy. He said that Australia’s decision to not play a tour game ahead of the four-match Test series is a good decision as they no longer trust the facilities provided by the host nation.
Australia will not be playing a single tour game ahead of the Test series and Australia opener Usman Khawaja had said recently that there was no point playing practice games as there was a stark difference between the wickets prepared for tour fixtures and actual wickets prepared for Tests.
“Have you ever been pre-tour with us (Australia)? They can be spinning wickets when we play but we go to the practice matches and they are green Gabba-like wickets out there (in India), so what’s the point,” Khawaja had said during a press conference earlier this month.
Healy supported Khawaja’s suggestion, saying it was a great move to assemble the touring party spinners in Sydney ahead of the tour to get them used to the Indian pitches by presenting a replica of Indian wickets.
“We’ve gathered our spinners in Sydney for strategic talks (on replica India surfaces) we no longer trust that the requested facilities will be provided for a nation,” Healy said on SEN Radio on Monday.
“We’ve been part of this shenanigan too by the way when we’re over (in England) we spend our time whinging about weakened County teams that England put up as our opposition before the series.”
Healy said he doesn’t like the practice of home boards preparing different sets of wickets for tour games and actual matches, calling it a breach of “trust”.
“Our focus in cricket has shifted from creating opportunities and experiences for our best up and coming cricketers now we deny touring teams quality preparation before very highly anticipated series and I don’t like it.
“It’s disappointing to watch such dismantling of trust between cricket’s nations and it needs to stop,” added Healy.
The first Test between Australia and India will be played in Nagpur on February 9 . Khawaja had said recently that it was a “good idea” to skip tour games, indicating they serve little purpose.
“I think we have finally learned. When I heard we weren’t going to have a practice game I went up to (head coach) Andrew McDonald and said, ‘Good idea’,” Khawaja had said recently.
Australia last won a Test series in India in 2004/05. Since they have won just one Test in the country which came in the 2017 series. Pat Cummins’ men will be eager to change their dismal record in the upcoming series which is also important for both the sides in perspective of the World Test Championship.
Touring teams seem to all struggle these days: Ian Healy
“Touring teams seem to all struggle these days and here we go again, we’re going to India without a whole lot of Indian practice under our belts, let alone England later in the year where we haven’t won since 2001,” Healy added.
Healy, however, said that a tour match midway through the Test series would be a good idea to give the touring party’s seven reserves some match practice.
“In India they’re (Australia) hoping everything will click and the squad freshens up with net practice our coaching staff are content with this and I’ll trust them for now. I would, however, like to see a tour match between the second and third Test in India I’d love to see a three-day game so that our seven reserves (in the 18-man squad) we’ve got over there can have a good hit out,” Healy added.
