Former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum has slammed his successor Kane Williamson for his tactics in the ongoing second Test against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Already trailing in the series after losing the first Test, New Zealand face an upheaval task in the ongoing game too as the hosts piled up 467 on an unpredictable pitch.
New Zealand started the game well by dismissing the Australian openers cheaply on day one. However, they could not capitalise on it. And their woes were compounded on day two as Australia recovered to post a massive total. Tim Paine and Travis Head were the architects of the big total as they scored 79 and 114 respectively.
And according to Brendon McCullum, what made things easier for the hosts was Kane Williamson’s submissive strategy. Kane Williamson’s decision to hand the ball to opener Tom Blundell right after lunch did not impress Brendon McCullum at all. With Williamson resistant to bring spinner Mitchell Santner back on or bowl himself, he asked Blundell to bowl a few overs in order to give some rest to the pacers.
Blundell bowled three overs for 13 runs and failed to pick up any wicket before being withdrawn from the attack. But those three overs helped Paine and Head settle down as Australia cruised past 400.
“I think it’s been a pretty poor session. I don’t understand some of the tactics to be honest,” McCullum told SEN Radio.
“It’s just staggering. By all means, have a blast, but the game was still in the balance.
“To me it was a submissive move [to bowl Blundell at the start of the session]. I just don’t understand it. They just rolled over,” he added.
