NEW DELHI: Former Australian cricketer Matthew Hayden has shared his insights on the Australian cricket team's performance in the ongoing ICC World Cup and suggested a change in the top order to address their batting concerns. Hayden believes that batting all-rounder Cameron Green should be given the opportunity to open the innings in place of Marnus Labuschagne, who has been batting at number four.
Australia have faced challenges throughout their batting lineup, with several batters struggling to put up strong innings in the tournament. Hayden's recommendations come in the wake of Australia's relatively low scores of 199 and 177 in matches against India and South Africa, highlighting their difficulty in scoring runs consistently.
Speaking about the potential pairing of Steve Smith and Labuschagne in the top order, Hayden expressed his concerns: "I don't think it does. I don't think they'll change things either. To me, they have got a front anchor out and a back anchor out, and the innings go nowhere because they are both well and truly stable."
He further emphasised the need for a change in the lineup: "It's fine to have one stabiliser, I think it's really important to have a mind like Steve Smith at the top of the order when you start to set totals or chase totals, you need that computer mind, but when you have two of them in a row, I think it creates pressure through the top six, so I'd make a change there."
Cameron Green, who was dropped from the team after the first game against India due to a lack of form with the bat, is Hayden's choice for the opening position. Hayden believes that Green could benefit from the opening role and suggested a rearrangement of the order with Mitchell Marsh moving to number three and Steve Smith batting at number four.
Hayden explained his reasoning, saying, "Give him a licence, Cam Green at the top. To me, he's a kid who hasn't necessarily found his tempo in any format of the game but what we saw here during the IPL is that Mumbai Indians just sent him out and said, kid, just smash it."
He added, "He's got huge levers, got great scoring abilities. Not so good when it comes to playing spin through the middle but by that stage if he's smashed Pakistan for 70 or 80, he's done his job."
Hayden also suggested that while Mitchell Marsh has had success as an opener in his ODI career, changes in the lineup may be necessary with the eventual return of Travis Head.
(With inputs from ANI)
