Darren Lehmann questions George Bailey's close involvement with Australian team
Former Australia head coach Darren Lehmann has expressed concerns over chief selector George Bailey's proximity to the national cricket team. He feels that this closeness could jeopardize Bailey's ability to make fair selection calls. "In my opinion, he's too close to the team," Lehmann said during a commentary stint for ABC Sport. These comments were made during the ongoing third Australia vs India Test at The Gabba, Brisbane.
Lehmann criticizes recent selection decisions
Lehmann also slammed recent selection decisions, especially those concerning the succession plan for David Warner and other aging squad members. He implied some players should have hung up their boots earlier and blamed selectors for not making tough calls. "A lot of players go too long before retiring or being forced out. Or selectors aren't strong enough to stop players playing," he said.
Lehmann advocates for objectivity in selection process
Lehmann emphasized that selectors should be objective while making decisions. "My preference is the selector to be able to make decisions within a selection group and deliver a hard message if they have to," he said. He added emotional attachment could cloud judgment: "Now, you can't do that sometimes if you're too close because you actually get too emotional and you care about the players."
Rain has impacted the Gabba game
Coming to the Gabba Test, Australia posted a formidable first-innings total of 445/10. While Travis Head scored 152, Steve Smith also contributed with a century. Jasprit Bumrah claimed six wickets. In response, the Indian team was 252/9 at stumps on Day 4. Though the Aussies have dominated the contest, peristent rain interruptions are heading this game toward a draw. Notably, India have successfully avoided a follow-on.
