Published: Sep 16, 2016, 10:04 AM (IST)
Edited: Sep 16, 2016, 02:16 PM (IST)
Australia have roped in a new batting coach following their no-show in Sri Lanka. Former England batsman Graeme Hick has tons of experience by his side and has also been successful on sub-continent batting conditions. Hick can be the answer to Australia’s batting woes in the shorter version of the game. The 50-year-old knows Indian pitches and has a experience on how to tackle the spinners in sucontinent conditions. He struck 178 runs in an innings against India’s legendary leg-spinner and current head coach Anil Kumble and Venkatpathy Raju. Australian batting line-up recently saw a downfall in Tests getting a beating from an inexperienced Sri Lankan side. The tour saw them being handed a 3-0 defeat in three-Test series, a side against whom they have lost only one Test in the history (before Australia’s tour of Sri Lanka 2016).
On Australia’s recent batting collapses, Hick shared his views elaborating on all aspects and how they can improve from there, he said, “I played in a game for England where we got bowled out for 46 in the Caribbean. It was just one of those occasions where before you can even get prepared, the innings is over. People didn’t have time to sit, plan and take stock of what was happening – it was all over so quickly. That’s all part of the challenge. Without doubt, you go to India, you’re going to get their subcontinent wickets, you go to England now, certainly Trent Bridge and Headingley, they’re going to be swinging around, Edgbaston maybe as well.”
“So that’s the challenge to face and that’s what the players will prepare themselves for. “All the players will be able to reflect on that (60 all out) and think about how they could have played it differently. “That goes back to the mental side of it” he added.
Australia will be touring England and India for Tests, he feels that Australian batsmen will come back hard after a bad-run in Sri Lanka. He said, “All your great players love a challenge. They manage to adapt and work it out themselves, in a way. So (I will) just pose a few questions, challenge them a bit. And I think there’s a challenge there anyway, especially in regard to England and the Ashes – I don’t think they’ll need much motivation for that. It’s about adapting to the conditions,”
“I think at times the Australian way is to really dominate, especially in Test cricket … Maybe India is a place where you need a little more patience. Let’s not forget it’s one of the hardest challenges in cricket. The teams that have been successful there recently have been (due to) guys who have made big runs up front, So it’s a matter of if one of our top order gets in, just batting a couple of sessions maybe is not enough.
“You’ve got to look at posting a big first-innings score if you get in, so that may require a little more patience than some players might normally play at. But that’s the exciting part – we’ve not won there for quite a while, and I think this group of players, having spoken to a couple of them briefly, is certainly up for the challenge and wanting to make a better account of themselves than they did in the Sri Lanka series. The biggest thing will be the side believing they can go over there and be successful, and coming up with a plan and sticking to that plan,” he further added.
