Legendary Australian wicket-keeper Ian Healy has taken a potshot at India, saying the idea behind Pat Cummins’ side not playing a tour game in the subcontinent ahead of the Test series is because “we no longer trust” the facilities provided by the host nation.
Australia will not play a single tour game ahead of the four-Test Border-Gavaskar series and a member of the squad, Usman Khawaja, had said recently that there was no point playing practice games as the wickets prepared for tour fixtures and actual matches in India were very different.
“Have you ever been pre-tour with us (Australia)? They can be spinning wickets when we play but we go to the practice matches and they are green Gabba-like wickets out there (in India), so what’s the point,” Khawaja had said during a press conference earlier this month.
Healy backed Khawaja’s suggestion, saying it was a good idea to assemble the touring party spinners in Sydney ahead of the tour to acclimatise them to replica India pitches.
“We’ve gathered our spinners in Sydney for strategic talks (on replica India surfaces)… we no longer trust that the requested facilities will be provided for a nation,” Healy said on SEN Radio on Monday.
“We’ve been part of this shenanigan too by the way… when we’re over (in England) we spend our time whinging about weakened County teams that England put up as our opposition before the series.” Healy said he doesn’t like the trend of home boards preparing different sets of wickets for tour games and actual matches, adding that it amounts to a breach of “trust”.
“Our focus in cricket has shifted from creating opportunities and experiences for our best up and coming cricketers… now we deny touring teams quality preparation before very highly anticipated series and I don’t like it.
“It’s disappointing to watch such dismantling of trust between cricket’s nations and it needs to stop,” added Healy.
Australia begin their Test series against India at Nagpur on February 9 and Khawaja had said recently that it was a “good idea” not to play tour games, indicating they serve little purpose. “I think we eventually learned. When I heard that we weren’t going to play practice games, I went to [head coach] Andrew McDonald and said, ‘That’s a good idea,'” Khawaja said. said recently.
Australia has not won a test series in India since his 2004/05 and is looking to change its fortunes in the subcontinent on the upcoming tour.
“The tour teams all seem to be in trouble these days, not to mention England later this year, which they haven’t won since 2001, and we’re going back to India without getting enough of India’s practice.
However, Healy said having a tour match in the middle of a test series would be a good idea to let the tour group’s seven-man reserves practice for the match. “In India [Australia], I hope everything is going well and the team will be fresher in net training…the coaching staff is happy with it and I trust them for now. I’d love to see a tour match between the second and third tests in India… I’d love to see a three-day match.It’s a good hit,” Healy added.