South Africa vs Australia 2020: Australia's assistant coach stresses the importance of a flexible middle order in the build-up to the T20 World Cup
Australia's assistant coach Andrew McDonald has expressed that the middle-order flexibility will remain a prime focus for Australia ahead of the T20 World Cup to be held in October this year.
In the second T20I against South Africa on Sunday, wicket-keeper batsman Alex Carey batted at number 4 instead of his regular-position at number 6. McDonald termed the move as an approach to remain flexible in the middle overs.
South Africa opted to bat first and posted a decent total of 158-4 in Port Elizabeth. Despite being in a comfortable position at 124-3 with 35 runs needed off 27 balls, Australia lost their momentum as wickets tumbled quickly with David Warner left stranded at one end with his half-century. The visitors lost by just 12 runs, courtesy of some brilliant death bowling from Lungi Ngidi and Kagiso Rabada.
While speaking in the post-match conference, McDonald said that the approach got decided per the situation, since Carey is a good player of spin in the middle-overs.
"It was seen that [Tabraiz] Shamsi was in some way controlling the tempo of the game through the middle overs there, so that move was made. The move only happens when you lose a wicket. Carey went in and the view was that he was the best player of spin in the middle overs to do that.
"We felt that was the right move at the right time, and Justin (Langer) and Aaron (Finch) pulled that move. Hindsight will tell you whether it was right or wrong."
As Carey and Matthew Wade swapped positions, the plan didn't work out for the Aussies as both failed to deliver. After Warner and Steve Smith laid out a decent 50-run stand, the middle-order collapsed, which led the Proteas to level the series at 1-1.
Having built a top order with the likes of Aaron Finch and Warner as the openers, and Smith being the regular number 3, the management wishes the middle-order to be adaptable during the middle overs. McDonald revealed that such an approach will get considered in the upcoming fixtures as well.
"Justin wants the players to be flexible. We're training them to be flexible and most of the time, these guys have batted in all different situations and positions in the order. We feel as though we've got that flexibility and probably the two that are locked in are Warner and Finch at the top and I daresay Steve Smith will be unlikely to move.
"But we'll be flexible between four, five and six and I don't think that'd be any different in Cape Town (for the third match of the series), depending on the situation."
With the T20 World Cup in sight, the 38-year-old depicted that such situations will help the players to gain experience in critical situations, which will play a key role in Australia's success ahead - especially when the team bats second.
"I think exposure to those situations more often grows experience, and with experience comes the ability to execute. Today we didn't quite get that right. Clearly, batting second on a tiring surface is a totally different situation. They'll be no doubt better for that experience as we grow and build towards the T20 World Cup."
Australia will square off against South Africa in the third T20I in Cape Town on Wednesday, when the result of the series will be decided .
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