Former Australian cricket star Steve O’Keefe has responded to criticism leveled at Pat Cummins’ team following their 295-run loss to India.
The former Sydney Sixers spinner slammed the criticism the Test side received after the first Test as “tall poppy syndrome”, adding that it was also “unwarranted”.
Cummins and Andrew McDonald have hinted it is “unlikely” any changes will be made to the team before next week’s meeting in Adelaide.
But questions have been raised over the credentials of several Australian stars, including Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith, after the pair failed to impress in Perth.
“It frustrates me… I think the buildup is not justified,” O’Keefe told SEN Radio.
“I think the build-up is just indicative of a lot of people wanting to come out of the closet, the tall poppy syndrome in Australia, and stick with this team.
Former Australian cricketer Steve O’Keefe has responded to criticism from Pat Cummins’ team following their loss to India.
Australia has been criticized for its performance during its 295-run loss against India in Perth.
Marnus Labuschagne’s recent form has also been outstanding, with Cummins and Australia coach Andrew McDonald defending the batsman.
“I think the situation has been tough; however, we expect a high level from that team, so there are some frustrations, but they don’t come from me.”
After a total of 17 wickets were lost on the first day of the Test, India again declared 487 runs on the third day, after Virat Kohli and Yashasvi Jaiswal hit centuries for the visitors.
While Australia’s bowlers struggled to snatch the innings away from India, their batsmen could not recover after India had set a big target for the hosts.
Debutant Nathan McSweeney, Pat Cummins and Marnus Labuschagne fell before the close of play on the third day, before Usman Khawaja was dismissed for four runs and Steve Smith for 17 runs on the final day.
Have you ever seen a team of Australian cricketers so despondent resorting to such tactics? What are actually considered negative and illegal tactics under the regulation? Adam Gilchrist asked on Fox Footy.
Michael Vaughan added: “It’s not something I’ve seen before in Australia.
“I’m looking at this Australian team, they’re a fantastic team, and for some reason they bowled India for 150, then batted well enough to get 104, and then with the ball in hand they had periods where they bowled very okay, but that last half hour is something I haven’t seen in Australia.
“All the boundary runners were on the fence, Labuschagne was bowling around the wicket, he was bowling negatively.”
Steve Smith’s (left) Test credentials have also come under scrutiny, after scoring 17 runs in both innings.
Cummins has stood up to back his teammates after it was also claimed there is a “split” in the Australia dressing room.
O’Keefe (right), who made nine Test appearances for Australia, taking 35 wickets, called the build-up “unfair”
While Australia has some tough questions to answer, Cummins has backed its stars under fire, coming to Labuschagne’s defense.
“Marnus, along with quite a few guys on the team, didn’t have the week we would have wanted,” he said.
‘It’s no secret how hard batsmen, particularly Marnus, work in the nets, and he’s always trying to find those little marginal gains.
“So this week there will be a lot of conversation with the coaches about his approach and what he could do differently.
‘We know he is a class player. He at his best is one of the scariest propositions for opposition bowlers.
Despite the poor performance, Australia coach Andrew McDonald said his team will go back to the drawing board and look to turn things around in Adelaide next week.
‘Morale is always good. “It’s a pretty even team, whether it’s a good day or a bad day,” McDonald said.
‘We have some problems to solve ahead. There is no doubt that we are clearly behind the game at this point. India is in control right now, but that doesn’t mean tomorrow can’t change very quickly.
‘Taste the ebbs and flows of cricket. We’ve all been a part of a game where you’ve been way ahead of the game and it can go around and around. So tomorrow morning we’ll get to work on what our outlook will look like.