Test legend Steve Waugh has taken a swipe at Australia’s chief selector George Bailey, accusing him and his panel of not having the guts to make the tough calls.
Selectors are on Wednesday morning informing players of their Ashes fate ahead of Cricket Australia’s announcement of the squad for the first Test starting in just over a fortnight’s time.
Steve Waugh has taken aim at chief selector George Bailey.Credit: Getty Images
Waugh has put the heat on Bailey and co-selectors Andrew McDonald and Tony Dodemaide, saying the time has come for them stamp their authority on the team rather than let the players pick the side.
“George Bailey’s going to have to make some tough calls and I think in the past, he hasn’t really had the appetite for that at times, so he’s going to have to step up to the plate with the other selectors because it is a time of transition,” Waugh said on Wednesday morning.
“The bowlers are in their 30s and some of the batsmen are getting on as well, but that’s natural for every team. You just want to make sure that three or four players don’t go out at the same time. That leaves a big hole in the team. So they got to just make sure that it is a transition, but not all at once.
“I’d like to see the selectors pick the sides, not the players. There’s been a lot of players recently picking sides and saying who should be in the team. That’s the selectors’ job.”
Chairman of selectors George Bailey.Credit: Getty
Waugh’s comments echo the criticism of former national coach and selector Darren Lehmann, who said Bailey was too close to the team.
Bailey has long said he believes his closer relationship with players is an advantage rather than a hindrance to his job as it allowed for better communication with players.
Test opener Usman Khawaja created a stir last week within Australian cricket when he pushed for state teammate Matt Renshaw to partner him at the top of the order, and his forthright comments about the batting line-up.
“Queensland … one, two and three would be great,” Khawaja said leading into the Bulls’ Sheffield Shield clash with NSW.
“I think our best lineup has Marnus three, [Steve] Smith four and [Travis] Head five.”
Renshaw has not worn the baggy green since the series in India in 2023, and last opened in a Test in the final match of the infamous series against South Africa in 2018 in the immediate aftermath to the ball-tampering scandal.
“He has not done himself any harm in the way he has played in the last three matches,” Khawaja said of Renshaw’s one-day international form.
“He’s looked the part, which he always does when he goes to the next level. You feel like he is the one guy who actually belongs at the next level.”
“Obviously, I am a little biased because he’s a friend of mine and he has been there and done it. He has scored 180 for Australia. He has been in and out of the Australian team, and I think that’s a really good thing.”
Cameron Green’s availability to bowl is seen as the central question in the composition of the squad. It has ramifications as to whether Marnus Labuschagne returns to his customary position at three or earns a recall as an opener.
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