Australian cricket legend Michael Clarke has blamed the ODI team’s poor preparation for the ODI team’s dismal start to the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup and warned it risks sinking into the same lows as the Australian rugby team.
The Wallabies unfortunately crashed out of the Rugby World Cup in France at the group stage for the first time in their history, leaving coach Eddie Jones fighting for his job and rumored to be heading to the Japan.
Australian cricket coach Andrew McDonald is now also feeling the heat after the Australians suffered heavy defeats to India and South Africa to put their tournament on life support.
Although the Australians can still reach the knockout stages of the World Cup, Clarke said their current form would see them crushed by spin-loving nations like Sri Lanka and Pakistan and warned that a collapse in the style of the Wallabies could become a reality.
Australia skipper Pat Cummins cannot hide his pain after losing his wicket against South Africa in the Australians’ second consecutive World Cup defeat.
The Wallabies were eliminated from the Rugby World Cup in the group stage for the first time in their history.
Former Australian Test and ODI champion Michael Clarke fears the Australian cricket team is heading down the same path as the Wallabies.
“Sri Lanka is going to be difficult in these conditions. We haven’t played Pakistan yet. We have a really tough cricket ahead of us and if we play like that we don’t qualify,” he said on Sky Sports Radio’s Big Sports Breakfast.
“I’m more worried about the subcontinent teams… if we show up like that against South Africa, the way things are going in the subcontinent teams… we will be laughable.
“If we’re not careful about the conversation we’ve had over the last three weeks about the Wallabies, in two weeks we’ll have this one about Australian cricket.”
Clarke said a good performance in The Ashes and victory in the Test Championship had papered over the cracks of problems in the Australian set-up for some time.
He blamed player selection and tournament preparation as the main reasons for Australia’s woes.
“I think we have had selection errors for a long time. Really,” he said.
“And again, (national selector) George Bailey, my great friend – I love George. But it’s not about the person. I’m not picking on this person.
“But what we did last time, I’m going to say six months (or even) longer than that. We have so many mistakes in terms of giving ourselves the best chance.
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“I will come back to the Test series in India, our preparation for this tour has been disgraceful,” Clarke continued.
“We’re not there at the moment and honestly, no disrespect, but we haven’t been there in a while,” he said.
“The Twenty20 World Cup is not good. We are better than that. It is not ok. Leaving England, series leveled, is not acceptable. This series was ours.
“The way we lost to India in India… our preparation for that tournament (was) not good. Then to win the Test championship – unbelievable. So it swept all those other things under the carpet. It is not fair.
“Now in our preparation for this World Cup, we have won two games out of seven. We have had a brilliant lead-in to this World Cup, an impressive amount of cricket, good competitive cricket.
“We should have gone to India at our peak. »
