AUS v ENG 2018: Steve Waugh astonished by Steve Smith’s open remarks on Glenn Maxwell

Smith had questioned Maxwell’s training methods after his exclusion from the ODI squad.

Steve Smith insists Glenn Maxwell to stick to basics rather than trying funky stuff | Getty

Legendary Australia captain Steve Waugh has expressed his astonishment concerning the current skipper Steve Smith's open remarks on swashbuckling batsman Glen Maxwell. Smith had questioned Maxwell’s training methods after his exclusion from the ODI squad for the forthcoming series against England.

Talking about the way things have panned out this week, Waugh said that Smith should be careful before making such statements on public platform.

"I found it all a bit strange. There must have been a reason why Steve Smith said that but I'm not sure it needs to be a public comment," Waugh was quoted by according to cricket.com.au as saying.

Waugh pointed out that such feedback could take an enormous toll on a cricketer’s confidence and might sour the relationship between the two players.

"As soon as you make a statement like that it does put a split between you and the player and it's a pretty personal sort of comment that he's not training hard which suggests he's not professional," the senior Waugh added.

Addressing the media after Australia’s ODI team selection, Smith had said: "Just looking at the way he trains, I think he could train a little bit smarter."

The 28-year-old Aussie captain also urged Maxwell to stick to basics rather than trying funky stuff every now and then.

"We've all seen the way he can come out and play and do all his funky stuff and be pretty cool with that, but when he puts his head down he's actually a really good batsman," Smith added.

Australia and England are slated to play a five-match ODI series, starting on January 14 in Melbourne.

Australia ODI Squad:

Steven Smith(c), Travis Head, Josh Hazlewood, Aaron Finch, Pat Cummins, David Warner, Chris Lynn, Mitchell Marsh, Tim Paine, Jhye Richardson, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa

England ODI Squad:

Eoin Morgan(c), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Jake Ball, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Tom Curran, Alex Hales, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood, Dawid Malan

Itinerary:

January 14, 1st ODI – Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne

January 19, 2nd ODI – The Gabba, Brisbane

January 21, 3rd ODI – Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney

January 26, 4th ODI – Adelaide Oval, Adelaide

January 28, 5th ODI – Perth Stadium, Perth

 
 

By Salman Anjum - 06 Jan, 2018

    Share Via