Kingston [Jamaica], July 10 (ANI): Australian batting coach Michael Di Venuto has brushed off Stuart Broad’s recent criticism of Australia’s current top three, laughing at the English pacer’s remarks.
Di Venuto responded, as quoted from The Sydney Morning Herald, “Stuart Broad? That’s good. Is he a selector?”
Speaking earlier on The Grade Cricketer podcast, former England seamer Broad assessed Australia’s batting lineup.
“I’m not out of place in thinking it’s the most muddled top three in my lifetime,” Broad said, as quoted from The Sydney Morning Herald.
“I’ve grown up with Langer (Justin), Hayden (Matthew), Ponting (Ricky), Warner (David), Watson (Shane) (and) Labuschagne (Marnus) in his first few years was a gun. I think Usman (Khawaja) is struggling. Cameron Green at three? He’s a five or six isn’t he. He’s pushing too hard (at the ball),” he added.
“Konstas is just young, learning his way. Those pitches in the Caribbean have been tricky. I imagine he’ll get a run (in the Ashes). I saw him net at Lord’s in the World Test Championship when he didn’t play (and there was) a crunch off the bat. You get a few low scores and you start to question yourself. I think he’s there to stay,” he noted.
Broad further said, “I can’t see this top three being the same for the Ashes. The Aussie selectors get it right, generally … (but) they can’t be watching from the Caribbean at the minute going ‘yeah, our top three is amazing’.”
“I think there is a lot of (Sheffield) Shield cricket leading into that first Ashes Test. Guys in form I dare say will get picked. At the moment, there’s no point sitting down and trying to nut something out when you’re three months away,” Di Venuto said.
He admitted that the Australian top order has not fired collectively in recent times.
“We don’t hide behind the fact that we haven’t functioned as a unit for the last couple of years. Take out the Sri Lanka series where we were outstanding in spinning conditions, it’s been really hard work. We’ve relied on individual brilliance to get us totals. Batting averages have come down and so too the bowling averages. That’s just the way it is,” he added.
Despite the concerns, Di Venuto stood firmly behind youngsters like Cameron Green and emerging opener Sam Konstas, urging fans and critics to allow them time to evolve in the international arena.
Green recently impressed with a hard-fought half-century in Australia’s second Test win in Grenada, while Konstas, though showing promise, managed scores of 25 and a duck in the same match, taking his Test average to 18.25 from eight innings. (ANI)
