Matt Renshaw slammed by former cricketers for no stomach for a fight
Matt Renshaw had to retire hurt with an upset stomach but former and present cricketers haven’t taken it too kindly that the Australian opener had to retire hurt on Day 1 of the India vs Australia Pune Test. Renshaw however came back to score 68.
Former cricketers have slammed Australian opener Matt Renshaw on Twitter for retiring hurt in the first session of the first day of the first Test in Pune on Thursday. Renshaw retired hurt due to an upset stomach just when Australia had lost settled opener David Warner for 38. He however came back at the fall of the third wicket to score 68, the highest score of the day. (LIVE SCORECARD)
Matt Renshaw was batting on 36 but left the field in a hurry, leading to a situation where Australia had two completely new batsmen in Shaun Marsh and Steve Smith despite losing just one wicket. It wasn’t taken very kindly.
Trent Copeland, who has played three Tests for Australia, got the debate going when he tweeted, ‘What has just happened?! Never seen anything like it... Man that’s not ideal. Such a good start for the Aussies!! #INDvAUS.’
Leg-spinner Adam Zampa, who had spun Australia to a 41-run victory in the third T20I against Sri Lanka on Wednesday, too joined the action by asking for a Hotspot on Renshaw.
Even former captain Michael Clarke was left amused by what he was watching.
The conversation quickly turned serious when former Australia spinner Gavin Robertson said he was astonished to see Matt Renshaw leave the field to expose Shaun Marsh just a few minutes before lunch. As it turned out, Marsh was dismissed soon after lunch and Australia was quickly down to 119/2.
It was Damien Martyn, a part of the invincible Australia team that had won 16 Tests in a row from 1999-2001, who nailed the coffin in its head by questioning Matt Renshaw’s temperament.
Martyn tweeted his teammate and former Australian opener Justin Langer would have carried on playing despite losing a limb.
Even Allan Border was left shocked by Renshaw’s action. Fox Sports Australia tweeted him as saying that he was hoping Renshaw is ‘lying on the table half-dead’.