Michael Clarke questions Australia's decision to withdraw Steven Smith midway through the Sri Lanka ODI series
Following Cricket Australia’s decision that skipper Steven Smith would be heading home after the 2nd ODI against Sri Lanka which the hosts won by 82 runs to equalise the 5-match series at 1-1, former skipper Michael Clarke has questioned the logic behind the decision which has been taken midway through the series.
Clarke felt that had the Australian selectors really wanted to offer Smith a ‘rest’ with a hectic schedule lined up for the reigning ODI World champions, they should have sent him back home at the culmination of the three-match Test series which saw the visitors being whitewashed 3-0 or allowed him to continue at least till Australia had taken an unassailable lead in the series.
David Warner would be leading the Australian side for the remaining three ODIs and possibly the two T20Is afterwards though no official confirmation has been made regarding the latter. While cricket experts including former Australian skipper Ian Chappell voiced his concerns that captaincy in all three formats of the game might take a toll of Smith, the 27-year-old had sounded out in his comments before leaving Sri Lanka that he very much wanted to be the man in charge for Australia.
“I hate missing cricket, but in the long run, it will do me a world of good. The schedule is very busy. I still want to take on the role in all three formats and do it to the best of my ability,” Smith said. “Even when we’re winning I’m constantly thinking about cricket, specifically about things that I could have done differently while batting. I always reflect at the end of the series and work out what I did well and what I didn’t do well.”
Replaying my dismissals in Sri Lanka in head when alone: Smith
Smith specifically in the context of the Test series against Sri Lanka where he himself admitted that a few of his dismissals in the island nation was down to his own fault.
“I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t replayed my dismissals from this series over and over in my head when I’ve been alone in my hotel room,” he said.
With Australia scheduled to take on the likes of South Africa, New Zealand and Pakistan over the next four months, the national selectors felt the time was right to give Smith a break from cricket to allow him to recuperate while also allowing David Warner a shot at the Australian captaincy to test out how well he can translate the IPL success story he achieved with Sunrisers Hyderabad during the 2016 edition.
While Smith’s predecessor Michael Clarke doesn’t have a problem with Smith being given a breather, he is aghast at the timing of the move making clear his views through a couple of posts on micro-blogging site Twitter.