In the ongoing second Test match between hosts Australia and West Indies, batters Marnus Labuschagne and Travis Head have scored centuries and the hosts are headed towards a big total. At one stage, Australia were 131/3 with captain Steven Smith caught and bowled for a duck by Jason Holder. But after the fall of the third wicket, Marnus and Head stitched a 200-run partnership to put the visitors on the back foot.
Former Australia cricketer Mark Waugh was critical of the Windies bowling. He labelled the quality of bowling in the last session as "not even club cricket". He came down heavily on the visitors' strategy to use spinners Kraigg Brathwaite and Roston Chase before Tea.
“Tactically, I couldn’t understand bringing a part-time spinner on in the first hour of the Test match,” Waugh said on RSN Breakfast Club.
“They hung in there pretty well halfway through the day when they had Australia 3-131 but after that Marnus and Travis Head just took the game away from them. The last session, that was club cricket, not even club cricket, I’m being a bit disrespectful to club players. The bowling was very, very ordinary, they had hands in pockets and long-sleeve jumpers on, it just didn’t look like they wanted to be there,” he added.
Former Australia captain Michael Clarke was equally displeased with the uncompetitive cricket played by West Indies and he flayed them left, right and center.
{{/usCountry}}Former Australia captain Michael Clarke was equally displeased with the uncompetitive cricket played by West Indies and he flayed them left, right and center.
{{/usCountry}}“Take nothing away from those two batsmen but clubbies at best, the West Indies,” Clarke said on Sky Sports’ ‘The Big Sports Breakfast’.
“Their bowlers, again they brought a debutant out from West Indies who landed a handful of days ago, always going to be a risk and it’s such a long way to travel. They bowled two part-time spinners in the first session of a Test match. It’s an average attack. Their tactics were just horrible. They are in deep trouble,” he added.
In the two-match Test series, Australia are leading 1-0 as they had won the first Test by 164 runs. In the second Test match, Australia scored 330/3 in 89 overs at Stumps on Day 1.