The incessant failures of Australia's top order batsmen, especially vice-captain Shane Watson, is the major reason behind their humiliating 4-0 Test annihilation against India.
The incessant failures of Australia's top order batsmen, especially vice-captain Shane Watson, is the major reason behind their humiliating 4-0 Test annihilation against India, according to sports columnist, Chris Barrett.
"Australia was not short on shortcomings in the subcontinent over the past five weeks. But none of its flaws were as glaring as those of the top-order batsmen. Australia was officially wiped out 4-0 - the worst Australian series result in 34 years - on the third day at a heaving Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium on Sunday," Barrett wrote in his column for the Sydney Morning Herald
"But once again the output of Australia's batsmen was the thorn in Australia's side, this time costing them any chance of a victory that at least would have made the end-of-tour drinks a little less bitter," he added
"Australia's bowlers have made their own blues in this series, and so have the selectors: why, for example, was Lyon dropped in Hyderabad? But no one is more accountable for the dismal campaign than those batting positions one to four," he further wrote
Barrett added in his column: "Watson, the captain in Delhi, has been the most guilty and there was more of the same on Sunday. His shot, rocking back and trying unsuccessfully to heave the left-armer Pragyan Ojha to the boundary, was not one out of the leadership handbook.
"He was on only five at the time, and his exit left Australia 4-51, a scenario that soon got considerably worse, spared only by another lion-hearted performance from Siddle," he wrote
"Only Clarke and Smith averaged above 40 on this tour, and aside from that, the gritty Ed Cowan (33.18) is the only recognised batsman whose average in the series exceeded 25
Led by Lyon and Siddle, Australia fought admirably on Sunday but will be hardly upset about an early flight out of here," he concluded.
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