Mark Waugh wants Pat Cummins to be dropped in Australia’s playing XI, calls for a surprise inclusion
Pat Cummins returned with figures of 1 for 36 against Sri Lanka.
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Oct 26, 2022 2:57 pm
Mark Waugh and Pat Cummins – Source (Twitter)
Mark Waugh has warned the Australian selectors and called for immediate action ahead of Australia’s next match in the 20-20 World Cup 2022. Waugh wants Cameron Green to replace Pat Cummins on October 27 against England for the vital clash.
Australia looked like they were not up to the mark in their seven-wicket win against Sri Lanka at Perth. Though Marcus Stonis played an amazing knock, the main concerns for the Kangaroos were the form of Aaron Finch and Pat Cummins.
Finch laboured hard to put together an innings of an unbeaten 31 off 42 balls with just one six to his name. When it came to Cummins, he was hit for 20 runs in his final over. This gave his figures a sorry reading of 1-36 in his four-over spell.
Notably, this was the third time he had gone for more than eleven runs an over. He has not been able to nail bowling in the shortest format of the game. For Australia to drop Cummins would be a big decision but Waugh feels it is time to walk the plank and take the tough decision.
“We look so far off the pace it’s not funny,” Waugh told RSN on Wednesday.
“I think the selectors have been very, very conservative for the last six months. It’s time to grow some kahunas I reckon. “I’d bring Cameron Green in and I’d bring him in for Pat Cummins, and I’d let Cameron Green open the batting.
“That’s the one change I would definitely make. I know it’s a bit of a gamble, it leaves your bowling a bit short. “But I think Cameron Green can bowl four overs as good as any of the other bowlers at the moment.
“Aaron Finch’s innings was torturous. I don’t think he can open the innings in the next game. If he plays, I don’t think he can open.”
The experiment of Green opening the batting was a big success in India in September, with him posting scores of 61 off 30 balls and 52 off 21 balls. But things changed as he made scores of 14, 1, and 1 upon his return to Australia before being dropped just before the World Cup started.
