Questions are being asked of the Aussie brains-trust that decided it would be a good idea to bowl first against Zimbabwe on Friday after it completely backfired in shock loss to the T20 World Cup. Australia slumped to an embarrassing 23-run loss to the cricket minnows, putting their chances of progressing to the Super 8 stage in doubt.
The Aussie bowlers only took two wickets after Travis Head won the toss and elected to field, despite history showing batting is easier in the first innings in Colombo. After Zimbabwe made 169 and rarely looked troubled, Australia’s batters struggled on a surface that appeared to get slower and slower.
Glenn Maxwell (L) suffered a bizarre 14-year first, while Travis Head (R) is copping it for his decision at the toss. Image: Getty/AAP
Tellingly, Glenn Maxwell’s 31 off 32 balls was the slowest 30-plus score of his 14-year T20 career at international or domestic level. Matt Renshaw made 65 off 44, but struggled to accelerate late in the innings and the Aussies were all out for 146.
It sparked questions as to why Head opted to bowl first, especially considering Australia won their first game against Ireland after batting first. Standing in for injured captain Mitch Marsh, Head appeared to get the decision horribly wrong.
Zimbabwe stunned Australia in a massive upset.
(Getty Images)
Travis Head and teammates look on during Australia’s loss to Zimbabwe.
(AP)
Former Aussie player and coach Darren Lehmann wrote online: “Can we bat first in a day game under that heat on these wickets please. Not that hard. Well played Zimbabwe fully deserved.”
Fellow Aussie great Mark Waugh labelled it a “strange decision”, while fans were gobsmacked. One person wrote: “Pathetic from Australia, starting with the decision to bowl first on this wicket.”
Travis Head remains positive despite loss
It now appears a fait accompli that Steve Smith will be added to the squad in time for the next game against Sri Lanka on Tuesday. If Marsh’s injury isn’t bad enough to rule him out of the World Cup, Smith will have to come in for someone – likely to be Josh Hazlewood.
Hazlewood has been ruled out for the entire tournament, but the Aussies would be taking a risk by replacing him with a batter in Smith. “We put ourselves under pressure losing wickets in the powerplay,” Head said after the loss.
“We’ve been here before. We said that at the toss, a little bit about 2023 (World Cup) and having injuries and working through, navigating through tournament play, which is difficult. We’ve seen a lot of tight games. All the teams are very good. (But) we’ve found ourselves in this position before.”