Former Australian cricketer Simon Katich has criticized captain Pat Cummins for Australia's slow over-rate during the first day of the second Test against India in Adelaide.
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Katich placed the responsibility squarely on Cummins's shoulders as the team captain. Despite bowling out India for a relatively low score of 180 in the first two sessions, Australia managed to bowl only 44.1 overs. This slow over-rate was particularly evident in the underutilisation of spinner Nathan Lyon, who bowled just one over, despite favorable conditions for spin bowling. While the fast bowlers performed admirably, the lack of overs from the spinner negatively impacted Australia's overall over-rate.
Simon Katich, during his commentary on SEN, expressed his strong disapproval of Australia's poor over-rate, labeling it a 'disgrace' and 'ridiculous'. He directly attributed the slow over-rate to the captain's leadership and advocated for stricter penalties, including potential suspensions, to address the issue.
“This will be the 22nd over bowled in nearly two hours of cricket. I know there have been wickets, but that’s a disgrace. That’s ridiculous. Captains are responsible; we know they are, because they’re the ones that are copping fines," Katich said in a discussion with 9News and SEN.
Despite bowling out India for a modest total of 180, Australia's slow over-rate was a major concern. The team took two sessions to bowl just 44.1 overs, which could have significant consequences for their World Test Championship campaign. With the final of the tournament on the horizon, Australia risks facing point deductions for persistent slow over-rates, potentially hindering their chances of qualifying for the final.
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However, Simon Katich acknowledged that the current system of fines has been ineffective in addressing the issue of slow over-rates. Despite the imposition of fines, teams continue to struggle with maintaining a consistent over-rate. To rectify this persistent problem, Katich advocated for stricter penalties, such as the suspension of captains, as a deterrent measure.
“But we know the fines aren’t working because it hasn’t changed anything. Potentially it’s going to be suspensions for Test matches. And if it’s the very next Test, you’re losing your skipper, and that’s maybe how tough it has to be to get this up to scratch because it’s not good enough," Katich added.
Pat Cummins' impressive show on Day 2
Despite facing criticism for the team's slow over-rate, Australian captain Pat Cummins has responded with impressive bowling performances. He claimed two wickets in the first innings and has already dismissed key Indian batters KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma in the second innings.
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma too fell cheaply at the lowly scores of 11 and 6 respectively. However, Rishabh Pant and Nitish Reddy stabilised the innings, taking India's score to 128/5 at the end of Day 2. Both Pant and Reddy remained unbeaten on 28 and 15 runs respectively. Earlier in the match, Australia had posted a formidable total of 337 runs, with Travis Head's blistering century of 140 runs being the highlight of their innings. India, in their first innings, were bowled out for 180 runs.
