Bumrah troubles the Australian top order as they register worst average since 1888 (AP)
Nathan McSweeney, who was replaced in the Australian squad for the Melbourne Test, had scored 72 runs from his 6 innings at an average of 14.40 in the first three Tests of Border Gavaskar Trophy.
Usman Khawaja, who turned 38 this mid-week, has gone 11 Test innings without scoring a half-century. His series average of 12.6, as per Fox Cricket, was the lowest of any Australia opener in a home Test series of at least three matches, since Matthew Elliott’s against South Africa in 1997.
But what left the Australian cricket circles shook, was what Ben Jones of CricViz, quoted as a low from a century and more. “Australia’s top three are averaging 14.40, the lowest they’ve averaged in a Test series since 1888,” Jones tweeted recently. It’s what might have prompted a drastic decision to drop McSweeney and bring in Sam Konstas.
The whole capsize has been triggered in no small measure by the rampant Jasprit Bumrah, who could have been said to have stubbed McSweeney’s nascent career. It left Bailey having to make a mid-series switch for Boxing Day at Melbourne.
“We remain confident Nathan has the ability and temperament to succeed at Test level in the future. It was a difficult decision to leave him out,” Bailey said, about the 25-year-old who took the opener’s job, batting out of position, for the first time with Australia A earlier. But the Aussies needed a shuffle up. “It has clearly been a challenge at the top of the order for batters throughout the series and we want to provide the option of a different line up for the next two matches,” Bailey added.
Konstas averaged 55.83 over the summer, and was immediately into contention in October after becoming the youngest player since Ricky Ponting to hit twin tons in a Sheffield Shield game.
While both Indian openers, KL Rahul (235 runs), and Yashasvi Jaiswal (193) stand in the top 7 run scorers from either team this series, neither McSweeney nor Khawaja made the cut. What’s worse Pat Cummins has been top scorer in the last of these innings of the three Tests.
Statsman Ric Finlay quoted this series as only the 10th time in Tests that Australia’s #1, #2, #3, #4 and #6 have aggregated 19 runs or fewer in an innings.
What’s been more concerning according to CricViz’s Ben Jones is that according to their metric, the xAverage of the balls McSweeney has faced in his Test career so far is 18.6. “That’s the lowest figure for any batter (min 200 balls) in the @CricViz database, back to 2006,” Jones tweeted, adding, “Essentially, the sustained quality of bowling he’s faced is the toughest of anyone in the data era.” In other words, that’s another Bumrah scalp.
Khawaja also has a marginally better, but still poor xAverage of 21.1, which means both openers haven’t lasted enough deliveries to even take the shine off the ball for the middle order to then dig deep, and exposing Marnus Labsuschagne and Steve Smith to the barrage.
McSweeney is thus likely to get out oftener for lower scores. Konstas Incoming, was inevitable.
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