"There'll be a lot of discussions over Jack Leach's position in the team" - Michael Hussey on England's bowling lineup for second Test
Veteran Aussie batter hussey" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">Michael Hussey has indicated that England will take Jack Leach's inclusion in the team into consideration for the upcoming second Ashes Test in Adelaide. Hussey's statement came in the wake of the left-armer's poor performance in the first Test against Australia at the Gabba.
After bowling 13 overs in the first innings, Leach leaked as many as 102 runs at 7.8 RPO. The only success he found was when he broke the 156-run partnership between David Warner and Marnus Labuschange.
According to Hussey, Australia had a set plan to attack Leach, who was chosen ahead of Stuart Broad for the Brisbane Test. While hinting that England will probably replace Leach with either Anderson or Broad, Hussey said at Cricbuzz Live:
"There'll be a lot of discussions over Jack Leach's position in the team. The tactics from Australia were very very clear to go hard and hit Jack Leach out of the attack. Unfortunately for him, he didn't have any impact on this game. I genuinely think they'll consider one change there. If Anderson and Broad come in, I don't know who's the second one they'll leave out. I think England will be a better team for that second Adelaide test match by having the likes of Stuart Broad and James Anderson in the team."
A nightmare outing for Jack Leach in his first Ashes Test in Australia 😬
His poor economy rate is the second-worst for any bowler in 🇦🇺 while the unwanted record belongs to Yasir Shah 😲
#Ashes #AUSvENG https://t.co/tu3x614DsU
"I don't think they'll be jumping to any conclusions just yet" - Hussey on England team's composition for second Test
The former middle-order batter highlighted that the visitors would first like to assess the conditions in Adelaide and then try to figure out their best combinations accordingly.
England were hugely criticized for their team selection prior to the first Ashes Test. The Joe Root-led side left out veterans James Anderson and Stuart Broad for the series opener. Speaking on the same, Hussey said:
"It's gonna be very interesting to see how England go about their next team. I don't think they will be jumping to any conclusions just yet. They'll want to get to Adelaide and assess the conditions and try and see what the best combination is going to be for those conditions."
Disappointment overnight as we lost the first Ashes Test.
Scorecard: ms.spr.ly/6010ZDmxA
#Ashes | #AUSvENG https://t.co/W9YSioHJYH
Hussey, who has more than 12,000 international runs to his name, also stated that the surface in Adelaide suits the fast and seam bowlers. While predicting that England will look to pick their best bowlers according to the conditions, Hussey said:
"They (England) have said that they are going to manage bowlers and they're going to try and pick the best bowlers for the conditions. Adelaide, in the past few years in day-night Test matches, has been one of the fastest and bounciest pitches in the country. The seamers have done pretty well."
After steamrolling past the English unit in the first Test, Australia will look to improve their chances of retaining the urn when the sides clash in Adelaide for the second Test. The encounter will start on December 16.