Focus Is On To Keep This Series Alive - Andrew McDonald Hints At Changes In Australia's XI For 3rd T20I vs West Indies
Published - 12 Jul 2021, 02:45 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:49 AM
Australia’s assistant coach Andrew McDonald has hinted that the management may make changes in the eleven for the third T20I versus West Indies after the visitors lost the first two matches of the series in St Lucia and stand a chance of losing the 5-match series entirely on Monday.
Aaron Finch’s side suffered two embarrassing losses by the hands of Nicholas Pooran’s team, who was missing its regular skipper, Kieron Pollard. In the first one, Australia collapsed from 89/3 to 127 all out while chasing 146; in the second match, they were outplayed in both departments as West Indies piled up 196 on the board and won by 56 runs.
Andrew McDonald reckons Australia are planning meticulously and will go hard in the must-win encounter.
“There’s definitely things to consider at the selection table. We’ve got options here … so you’d like to think that some guys will get some opportunities at different times,” Andrew McDonald said.
“They (the West Indies) have done a bit of planning from game one to game two to try to combat that fast start (in game one) and it’s over to us to make sure that we’re aware of some of those plans.
“We’re here to win the series and we’re 2-0 down, so our most important contest is the next one that we face. There is a clear focus on game three to keep this series alive.”
You’ll see tactics evolve depending on the conditions throughout the series: Andrew McDonald
With two losses changes in eleven are bound to happen. Australia could go in pace heavy with the likes of Riley Meredith, Jason Behrendorff, and Andrew Tye on the bench to support Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood.
Moises Henriques or the returning Daniel Christian could make way for a pacer; Ben McDermott, Josh Philippe could also be benched for a proper finisher in Ashton Turner, a role Australia majorly missed in absence of Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis.
Andrew McDonald talked about the role of the three all-rounders – Mitchell Marsh, Henriques, and Christian – is to give the skipper bowling options. But nothing which cannot be changed.
“We’re playing a different balance of team. We’ve gone to the all-rounders.
“It’s tough to fit them all in, in terms of the resources that we’ve got there. You’ll see tactics evolve depending on the conditions throughout the series. The key is to judge this group over five matches,” he added.
