Fluffy words leave Warne feeling sick
TEST legend Shane Warne says Australia’s new buzz words are nothing more than “verbal diarrhoea”, saying the team should be focused on wins rather than talk.
Fans were quick to poke fun of the “elite honesty” phrase plastered earlier this week in Australia’s change rooms, while the new players’ pact was also criticised for being cringe worthy.
Warne aired his frustrations while watching Australia’s horrible display against South Africa in Sunday’s ODI in Perth.
“Forget all the words, forget the verbal diarrhoea and all that sort of stuff,” Warne said during commentary.
“That’s just rubbish, that sort of stuff. Seriously, it makes you want to vomit. “At the end of the day, cricket is a simple game and it’s a performance-based game. All these words and everything - it’s all about actions. And I think it’s got to be the basics.”
Warne said it was important for new ODI captain Aaron Finch and vice-captain Alex Carey to inspire the team.
“You can’t forget what Australians are, their DNA, and that is hard, aggressive and positive cricket. And then play fairly.”
Australia were bowled out for 152 with South Africa needing less than 30 overs to reach the target.
ON a day it was so important for Australia to do everything right, the embattled one-day team just did so much so wrong.
They were supposed be the ones who were going to rebuild trust with a cricket community disillusioned by poor performances and poor behaviour from the board room to the change room.
The player pact, launched by Test captain Tim Paine this week to a mix of incredulity and expectation, said as much.
“Compete with us. Smile with us. Fight on with us. Dream with us.”
But from the outset of the opening clash with South Africa in Perth, there was hardly a tick in any of those four boxes. There was a little bit of fight, from recalled fast bowler Nathan Coulter-Nile. But it came with the bat, and his effort to raise Australia above 150 was commendable but lamentable at the same time.
That Coulter-Nile had to hit six of his team’s 17 boundaries, and was in before the score had reached 100, was evidence of the diabolical events that came before.
Consideration for Australia’s below par score of 152 all out, in the 39th over too, has to be given to losing the toss on a “juicy” new wicket.
Given first use the Proteas were relentless too, with Dale Steyn searing past the outside edge. The fact that Proteas firebrand Kagiso Rabada was their first change bowler was suggestion enough of the weaponry available to the visitors.
But the Australian bastmen hardly helped themselves. Travis head then D’Arcy Short prodded hard at wide balls they could have left, and Aaron Finch didn’t trust himself enough to review an LBW decision that replays showed would have missed the stumps.