Former Indian batsman Aakash Chopra is not sure about Australian chief selector George Bailey’s observation that batting all-rounder Glenn Maxwell should be considered a frontline spinner. According to Chopra, there are question marks over whether Maxwell can give the team 10 overs consistently.
The Aussies will go into World Cup 2023 with only one main spinner in leggie Adam Zampa. After losing left-arm spinner Ashton Agar due to injury, he was replaced by batter Marnus Labuschagne in the 15-man squad. However, Bailey defended the move and called Maxwell a “specialist spinner”.
While sharing his thoughts on Australia’s World Cup 2023 squad, Chopra (3:25) cited the lack of spinners as one of the issues.
“Australia is an interesting team. No other side has won more World Cups than them. They know how to win, how to play well and turn it on in the big events. This the strength of the team, but there are some issues with the squad,” he said on his YouTube channel.
“In India, you need spinners to come and bowl, but there are hardly any spinners. They have Adam Zampa and Glenn Maxwell. The latter picked four wickets recently, which was also dismissed Rohit and Kohli. He is very good, but is he your reliable 10-over bowler? When asked about this, George Bailey said that Maxwell is not something to be taken lightly; he is a good bowler,” added Chopra.
Maxwell was the Player of the Match with figures of 4/40 as Australia beat India in the third ODI at Rajkot recently. Apart from Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, he also removed Washington Sundar and Shreyas Iyer.
“They don’t play in places where the ball turns too much” – Chopra on Australia’s places for 2023 World Cup
While reiterating that Australia may wish to not have too many spin options in their team, Chopra added that the team can get away with it. He pointed out that the venues where the Aussies will play World Cup matches are not known to offer much opportunity.
“Bailey also pointed out that Australia don’t bowl spin for more than 20 overs most of the time. Looking at the venues where they play, they don’t play in places where the ball spins,” he concluded. said Chopra.
Australia will play their World Cup 2023 matches in Chennai, Lucknow, Bengaluru, Delhi, Dharamsala, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, and Pune.
