'It's a Mistake': Michael Clarke Criticizes Selectors Over Nathan McSweeney Snub

Former Australian cricketer Michael Clarke has targeted the selectors for dropping Nathan McSweeney for the last two Tests against India. McSweeney, who had won his place in the team by scoring heavily in the Sheffield Shield and against India A, had a tough start to international cricket. The 25-year-old managed to score only 72 runs in his first three games, failing to settle down.

He really struggled to play at the international level against Jasprit Bumrah's bowling, and to make matters worse, from his poor outings, the team dropped him and played Sam Konstas as a replacement. Clarke of course feels this decision of dropping him from the eleven is not quite right as he reckons that McSweeney should have been given the opportunity to continue playing with the top-order.

Nathan McSweeney has been axed, and Michael Clarke is not pleased about this. Speaking on the Beyond 23 Cricket podcast, Clarke said, "I just can't believe that. Whoever they picked in that opening position, they had to give them the series. I think the selectors got this wrong."

He also mentioned Usman Khawaja's failures, saying, "We have Usman Khawaja who is 38 years old, and he has not made any runs. He is a senior player." Clarke seems to believe that McSweeney should have been given more chances to prove himself.

Michael Clarke criticized the selectors for ignoring the future of Australian cricket. He felt the batting lineup is aging, mentioning, "We have Marnus Labuschagne, who was coming under pressure before this series and has made one decent score. Steve Smith batted like a genius to make a hard-fought hundred but has also been under pressure. Everyone except McSweeney is over 30 years old, some in their late 30s."

Clarke also questioned the selector's long-term vision, adding: "What happens if Usman Khawaja retires in two Test matches? Does McSweeney then come back in, or does he go to the back of the queue? They've got to come out and say,' We made a mistake picking him.'

On the other hand, Sam Konstas, who replaces McSweeney has looked good. 19-year-old played an unbeaten 73 in the second unofficial Test against India A and has a first class average of 42.23. Konstas will look to keep that form going in the 4th Test which starts on December 26 in Melbourne.

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