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Points moored after MCG test ended up being the difference for Australia
Although Australia were comfortably clear in the Test World Championship standings at the time, Australian coach Justin Langer admitted to feeling awe when his team lost two points due to a penalty for slow rates in Boxing Day’s test against India – ultimately everything that separated the team from a place in the final later this year.
While Tim Paine’s side have won only two of the four series they have played during the WTC period, while also having canceled the away series against Bangladesh and South Africa due to complications around Covid-19, she is said to have claimed enough points from matches played to squeal. after New Zealand in second place behind India if not for being docked the two points at the end of the MCG defeat.
Langer claimed the team had no idea they were behind on the required exceedance rate by a sufficient margin to incur a penalty until the end of the test, despite regular updates still provided by match officials. In 2008, then Australian captain Ricky Ponting resorted to part-time bowling at a critical point in a test match in Nagpur, amid concerns that the passing rate of the team had fallen to a level from which he could well have been suspended under the disciplinary system in use by the ICC at the time.
“Our manager Gavin Dovey had returned home … for Christmas with his family in England, and it was only after the game that we realized our excess rate was going down,” Langer told SEN Radio. “It’s really soft for us, but I remember we were in the team room afterwards and I talked to Painey and Dene Hills, our analyst. I was a little cranky about it and I thought about it. I was told ‘imagine if this cost us the Test World Championship’.
“And I told the players afterwards that two overtakes could cost us the test world championship. And so, we have to improve and make sure that doesn’t happen in Sydney and Brisbane. It is not. not the case, but We also couldn’t beat India twice and we didn’t score enough points. It was relevant at the time, and it certainly became incredibly significant over the course of the year. weekend. “
Early in his reign as a coach in 2018, Langer coined the phrase ‘From Lille to Lord’s’, referring to a term that began with a memorial trip to the battlefields of the Western Front and captured a few occasions to play the finals at the home of cricket: the 2019 World Cup final and this year’s WTC final, although she did not transfer to the Ageas Bowl in Southampton.
“It’s disappointing for several reasons – one that we couldn’t play in South Africa to have another chance after the Indian series and it’s disappointing for me because this test championship lasts for several years, we were in the seat of the box for a big part, ”Langer said.
“We played good cricket. Losing to India at home was really disappointing, but… we got two points for a slowdown rate, and it cost us. That’s how bad it was. close and how often do you get moored points in Test cricket these days? Rarely. We have this under our control, it’s all about attitude, at the time we probably thought ‘oh this isn’t that bad, ” but it cost us the WTC after two really good years when we were ranked No.1 again. The things we can control, we have to control, and we can’t control ourselves. relax a second in Test cricket. “
After the Australian Whiteball team returned home after a 3-2 T20I Series loss to New Zealand, Langer expressed approval for Glenn Maxwell’s recently stated desire to return to test competition. match given the multiple series of tests looming for the national. team in Asia over the next two years.
“I absolutely agree with that,” Langer said. “We know how destructive he can be. We’re always looking for more consistency from Maxy and all of our players, but he’s so destructive and so talented and a gun defender.
“I would love that energy on the pitch. For example, I think we’ve lost 16 catches in this test series, things that are under our control like over-rate, and those are areas we want to continue. to get better or else the old “catches won” are costing you. Glenn Maxwell is on the pitch playing with very handy offspinners, we absolutely encourage him to come in. I would love to see all of our star players play. It would be great for Glenn Maxwell, but it would be great for domestic cricket.
“You imagine young bowlers bowling against a hungry Glenn Maxwell who wants to push to play test cricket in the future. He will be hungry, I would love to see [Aaron] Finch also plays. I would love to see all of these guys play because never underestimate the benefits for young players, on your team and against the opposition, of playing against the best players. But it’s going to be a decision for Victoria and I’ll be looking at it very closely. “
It remains to be seen whether Maxwell will be included in the Victorian squad for their next group of Sheffield Shield matches ahead of his next stint in the IPL.
Daniel Brettig is associate editor at ESPNcricinfo. @danbrettig
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