Australian chief selector Trevor Hohns has been under the scanner with some players expressing their concern over the lack of communication after being left out from the ODI and Test squads.
Speaking to cricket.com.au, Hohns though made it clear that there is an ‘open line of communication with the players’.
Last week, speedster Nathan Coulter-Nile had voiced his disappointment over the way national selectors have communicated to him before naming the ODI squad for India series. Apparently, Coulter-Nile was snubbed owing to a sore back but the paceman said he had informed the selectors that he was yet to have a scan, which eventually cleared him fit.
“I won't get into individual cases, of course. But the procedure is when we select a side, players are notified by myself — this is what I do — notified whether they’re in. And those who have been left out of the previous team or squad get notified. They are given a reason, it may well be 2-3 lines or what have you. Because I'm upfront and say the truth,” Hohns quoted.
“There's an open line of communication. It’s their careers so if they’re unclear about anything, we’d like to think they can get some clarity if they want and take some ownership of their careers. There are no WhatsApp messages. It’s direct by phone or if I’m present at the time and the players are there, it’s always face-to-face,” he added.
Australia also named its 13-man squad for the upcoming Test series against Sri Lanka at home. Experienced southpaw Shaun Marsh has been dropped from the squad after his series of failures against India.
“Shaun hasn’t, certainly, done what we’d like him to have done over the last period and I am sure he would say the same thing. As far as the Ashes go, that’s a long way off. He now has the opportunity in one-day cricket to get some form back,” Australian chairman of selectors said about Marsh.
Glenn Maxwell, who was left out of the India Test series, failed to secure a place against Sri Lanka as well.
“This is nothing to do with (his character) at all. Sure, when we look at teams now we obviously take into account players’ characters, but I can assure you there is not issue whatsoever. Glenn hasn’t played Test cricket for us for a while and I guess right here and now we are wanting him to focus on white-ball cricket with the World Cup coming up. We’ve had several conversations with Glenn about all this and right now he is just content to focus on one-day cricket and white-ball cricket,” Hohns said when asked about Maxwell’s snub.
Aaron Finch, Peter Handscomb and all-rounder Mitchell Marsh have also been snubbed from Australia's Test squad after inconsistent performances with the bat against India. Instead, Matt Renshaw, Joe Burns and Will Pucovski will be featuring for the hosts during the two-match Test series versus Sri Lanka, starting with the D/N encounter in Brisbane on January 24.
“Joe Burns has a great record in Test cricket. He’s scored hundreds and has been in good form leading up to when the Big Bash started. Matt Renshaw, on the other hand, is very, very highly regarded young player,” Hohns said.
“There's always talk about having an all-rounder in your side, particularly in different conditions of course. My only answer to that is; if the all-rounder isn't performing and you don't have a good all-rounder, maybe we shouldn't have one and go back to the stock-standard six batsmen and four bowlers,” he concluded.
