Handshake drama exposed in Aussie cricket team

An Aussie Test great has spoken out about an incident during the Perth Test that he didn’t like seeing from the Aussie team.

Aussie Test great Ian Healy has spoken out after watching a scene he didn’t like the look of from the Australian team at the end of the Perth Test.

Healy has singled out one moment involving George Bailey where he believes the chairman of selectors was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

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There have been calls for changes to be made to the Aussie side following the ugly the 295-run thumping in the first Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test against India at Optus Stadium.

There have been rumblings of criticism surrounding Pat Cummins’ and coach Andrew McDonald’s comments that it is “unlikely” changes will be made before the second Test in Adelaide, beginning December 6.

The defeat in Perth had been branded the worst day the Australian team has known since the Hobart Test defeat to South Africa in 2016 which prompted widespread team changes.

The Aussie team, however, has played a straight bat to the swirling criticism.

The lack of fire from Cummins and McDonald after the defeat has rubbed plenty the wrong way, bringing back to life old concerns the current XI does not have the same hard-edge as previous generations.

The sight of Bailey sitting in the dug-out with Aussie players is also a break with tradition where selectors have been more distant from the players to be objective in their difficult decisions.

Pat Cummins and George Bailey. Photo by Steve Bell/Getty Images.

Bailey, McDonald and Tony Dodemaide are the three men that will decide the futures of under-fire batsman Marnus Labuschagne and rookie opener Nathan McSweeney.

The sight of Bailey also entering the field of play to shake hands with Indian players as they celebrated the victory also displeased the former wicketkeeper.

“He went out and shook hands with everyone, he did the whole shaking hands in a conga line,” Healy said on SEN Queensland.

“I would be thinking if I’m an Indian cricketer, ‘What do I need to shake your hand for, you’re the chairman of selectors? I just want to hurry up and get this win celebrated’.”

Healy’s co-host Pat Welch said Bailey shouldn’t be sitting directly alongside the Aussie players.

“What’s the Chairman of Selectors doing sitting there in a tracksuit?” Welch said.

“He should be in a corporate box somewhere watching and taking notes.”

The close ties between Bailey and Cummins have previously been highlighted as a concern by Aussie Test cult hero Mitchell Johnson.

The former fast-bowler 12 months ago wrote an explosive column that claimed Bailey was too close to David Warner to make the tough decision to deny the former Test opener a fairy tale summer farewell at the SCG Test.

“The handling of Warner in recent years, who played with Bailey in all three forms, raises the question of whether Bailey was simply too quickly out of playing and into the job and too close to some of the players,” Johnson wrote.

Bailey said in response to Johnson’s column: “I’ve been sent little snippets of it. I hope he’s OK.

“My only observation would be if someone can show me how being distant and unaware of what players are going through and what the plans are with their team and the coaching staff, how that’s more beneficial, I’d be all ears.”

Pat Cummins in Perth. Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images.

The fact that Australia may head to the Adelaide Oval without any changes will only pour fuel on the narrative that senior Aussie players have been able to sway selectors away from making changes.

Last summer Cummins said Aussie players were fiercely protective of each other - when responding to Johnson’s column.

“I think we protect each other a lot,” Cummins said.

“We’ve been through a lot over the years, our boys. Someone like Davey or Steve [Smith], I’ve played with them for a dozen years now, so we’re fiercely protective of each other.

“Sometimes you’ve got to remind yourself of the amount of positive support that is out there.”

Right now the options to make changes seem thin.

Josh Inglis will remain with the squad as a potential replacement batter but something would need to shift dramatically for him to replace Labuschagne despite two ugly dismissals in Perth and a long run of poor returns.

Labuschagne is averaging just 13.66 across his last five Tests, a figure flattered by the 90 he made in Christchurch in March.

He took 52 balls to make just two in the opening innings and backed that up with only three in the second in Perth, caught LBW in horror fashion after leaving a ball which was cannoning in to the stumps.

The No. 3 batter has Cummins’ full support.

“Look there’s a lot of experience there,” Cummins said. “This summer, it’s a sample size of one.

“I think they’re going about their work really well, but no doubt we’ve got some work to do.

“There’ll be plenty of time in the nets, conversations around if we come up against a similar attack, what we could’ve done a bit better.”