Mark Waugh points finger at selectors for dropping Starc in T20 World Cup clash against Afghanistan

Former Australian cricketer Mark Waugh has criticized the selectors for not including Mitchell Starc and Josh Inglis in the pivotal T20 World Cup Super Eight match against Afghanistan. 

This decision came under scrutiny after the Rashid Khan-led Afghan team defeated Australia, knocking them out of the tournament and securing their spot in the semi-finals. 

The defeat, combined with a subsequent loss to India, thwarted Australia’s chances of advancing.

Australia’s exit from the T20 World Cup 2024 has left many experts and fans in disbelief, as the team was widely expected to reach the semifinals. Following this disappointing outcome, Waugh has called for a comprehensive overhaul of the team.

“We need a reboot in T20 cricket. With the amount of talent we’ve got in the squad and around the squad, we should do a lot better than that. We’ve got a lot of good players who didn’t play in that tournament. Jake Fraser-McGurk should have been in the squad because you just have him there, ready, locked, and loaded to go if you need him, but he wasn’t there,” Waugh said. 

“The non-selection of Mitchell Starc against Afghanistan was crucial, and even Josh Inglis not getting a game. I reckon we need a reboot by having a different coach for T20 cricket or 50-over cricket (as well). I think a fresh set of eyes, someone in there to come in and make some change. I think we need to look at some fresh eyes in that T20 outfit,” he added.

The former Australian cricketer Justin Langer was replaced by Andrew McDonald as Head Coach in 2022. Under McDonald, the team has achieved significant successes, including winning the World Test Championship 2023, Ashes 2023, and World Cup 2023. 

Despite these achievements, McDonald has previously stated his belief in maintaining a single head coach for all formats.

“My belief is to still have that one coach and share the workload within that. I think for me the continuity of messaging is critical, but also the priorities shift. And people probably don’t like me saying this, but the priorities do shift at certain times. You can’t be everything to everyone. If you had split coaches, which format takes priority? I think the ability to have one selection panel, one coach to work through that, give the direction to what the priorities are at the time and managing the overall squad,” McDonald said.