Pat Cummins launches an all-out attack on Darren Lehmann over George Bailey criticism

Australia captain Pat Cummins has come out in support of George Bailey and his selection committee by claiming that they are fully capable of making tough decisions when needed for the team.

Cummins was responding to the criticism that Bailey faced from the former cricketer Darren Lehmann after the third Test between Australia and India. The Australian skipper was asked about Lehmann's comments and he backed Bailey at the role.

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What did Darren Lehmann say?

While speaking to ABC Sports, Darren Lehmann claimed that George Bailey is too close with the Australian players to take a tough decision. Lehmann was referring to Bailey's constant presence around the Australian squad.

“Now, you can’t do that sometimes if you’re too close because you actually get too emotional and you care about the players. As a selector, I cared about the players, as a coach you do, but sometimes you actually get too close and you forget about what’s out there," Lehmann had said.

George Bailey has been seen in the Australian dressing room numerous times chatting with the players and the support staff. He has been found in the team's training sessions too and having conversations with the team's captain and coach on various occasions.

Pat Cummins replies to Darren Lehmann's comments

When Pat Cummins was asked about Darren Lehmann's comments, he refused to blame George Bailey. Instead, Cummins defended the criticism by saying that the current selectors have taken bolder calls than the past selection committees.

“Of course, the most important thing is you do stay objective, and I think the selection panel is amazing at that. They’ve made some bold calls over the last couple of years in all formats, probably bolder than I’d seen other selectors make over the previous years, so they’ve never shied away from a tough decision,” Pat Cummins said.

“What George (Bailey) brings to the role is amazing, and I think you’d hear that from the guys in the side, but you’d also hear it from state guys and everyone outside it as well,” he added.

George Bailey's tenure as Australia's Chief of Selectors

George Bailey has been Australia's chairman of selectors since August 2021. In this tenure, Australia won big ICC trophies like the T20 World Cup 2021, the World Test Championship 2023, and the ODI World Cup 2023.

Currently, some of the Australian players are struggling with form in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy. George Bailey has been criticized for giving them a prolonged run rather than infusing new talent.

Players like Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labushchagne, and Mitchell Marsh are under pressure to perform after some poor returns over the last few Tests. Opener Nathan McSweeney, who was selected to partner Khawaja at the top before the start of this series, too has found it difficult to score runs against Jasprit Bumrah and Co.

The five-match Test series is currently level 1-1 after three matches. India won the first Test in Perth while Australia bounced back with a convincing win in Adelaide. The third Test in Brisbane ended in a draw due to persistent rain. With two more Tests to go, the series is expected to go down the wire.