Great Australian captain Steve Waugh has accused CA chief selector George Bailey of not wanting to take any tough decisions while selecting players in the Test team. The criticism comes after only one player under the age of 30 was included in the Australian squad announced for the Perth Test.
The Ashes series will begin on November 21 with the match between Australia and England in Perth and will continue till January 2026. On Wednesday, 5 November, Australia announced their squad for the first Ashes Test and Steve Waugh appeared disappointed with the selection of players.
Steve Waugh accuses George Bailey of being unable to take tough decisions
Steve Waugh has accused Australian selector George Bailey of not wanting to make changes to the team, including taking some tough decisions. Without getting into any controversy, Bailey claimed that his panel was ready to take some tough decisions but could not do so because the older players were still performing.
Australia announced their 15-man squad for the first Ashes Test, with only one player under the age of 30. Usman Khawaja will soon turn 39 next month. Additionally, many other players like Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland will turn 35 by the end of this summer.
“George Bailey will have to take some tough decisions,” Waugh said. “I think in the past he has shown that at times he doesn’t really have the appetite for it, so he has to move forward with other selectors.”
“The bowlers are in their 30s, and some of the batsmen are also moving on. It’s natural for every team. You just want to make sure that three or four players don’t go out at the same time. That leaves a big hole in the team. So they have to make sure it’s a change, but not all at once,” he said.
“I want to see the selectors picking the team, not the players,” Waugh said.
Steve Waugh further said that this matter should be taken out of the hands of the players, as it is the job of the selectors.
“I want to see the selectors picking the team, not the players,” Waugh said. “Recently a lot of players are choosing their sides and saying who should be in the team. That’s the job of the selectors.”
Recently, Australia’s legendary opener Usman Khawaja had suggested including players like Matt Renshaw and Marnus Labuschagne at the top of the Australian batting order.
However, the national selector has said that it is quite normal for players from the state to support their teammates and support them when asked by the media. However, such decisions never influence the decisions of the selection panel.
George Bailey has strongly defended the selection of Usman Khawaja
George Bailey defended the selection of players like Usman Khawaja, stating his 232-run innings against Sri Lanka was only his second half-century in his last 26 Test innings. He also claimed that he cannot ask senior cricketers, who are still in good form, to retire just because of their age.
“My question is back, is there a tipping number as a player gets older? Do you tip them?” Bailey said. “Should this be the same for everyone still performing in the team? Should this be the most important criteria?” Bailey said.
He further claimed that he, along with other members of his selection panel, are well aware of how to create scope for young people to prove themselves in order to get selected.
Bailey concluded, “That doesn’t mean you’re not aware of the age profile of the team, but we treat each Test as important. You’ve got Australia A tours, taking people to the subcontinent… getting people in and around the Test team, using one-day cricket as an entry point.”
Also read: Shocking! Ajit Agarkar did not select Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli for South Africa series
