Warne slams Australia’s unreliable batting
Armstrong’s dig at Thomas
Shane Warne has branded Australia’s current test batting as ‘‘the worst I have seen it’’.
With Australia facing a heavy defeat against Pakistan in Dubai, Warne said the team boasts the weakest batting lineup he can remember less than a year out from the defence of the Ashes in England.
Warne called on the Australian selectors to stick with Aaron Finch and believes his fellow Victorian should be considered as a future test captain.
Finch scored 62 and 49 in his maiden two test innings against Pakistan this week after being drafted into the side at the age of 31 to bolster a batting lineup that is missing the vastly experienced Steve Smith and David Warner.
Smith, Warner and Cameron Bancroft will be eligible for selection after their suspensions for the Cricket World Cup and the Ashes and Warne expects all three to walk straight back into the side.
‘‘We need them,’’ Warne told BBC Radio 5 Live yesterday.
‘‘I think Australia’s batting at the moment is the worst I have seen it. I hope they stick with Aaron Finch and he continues to makes some runs, he’s someone that could captain the side.’’
The reputation of the suspended trio has taken a battering both in Australia and internationally following the sand paper incident during the fourth test against South Africa in Cape Town.
Warne conceded they will still need to demonstrate contrition, but insists the selectors have little choice but to get them back in the side as soon as they are available. Drugs cheat Lance Armstrong has taken to social media to troll Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas following the 2018 champion having his trophy stolen. Thomas is pleading with the thieves, after it was stolen late last month from a cycle show in Birmingham, to return it. He told the BBC: ‘‘The trophy means a lot to me and to the team.’’ In a cheeky dig on Twitter, Armstrong shared a media story on the theft with a comment: ‘‘G – bummer, dude. I got 7 of em if you wanna borrow one (sic).’’ Armstrong might still be in possession of his trophies and jerseys but the US cyclist was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles and given a lifetime ban.