Former Australia captain Michael Clarke has lashed the resting of Test stars for the shock ODI series defeat to Pakistan, saying the reigning world champions “didn’t care about losing”.
After the Aussies narrowly won the first match, Pakistan then recorded two commanding victories to seal their first series win in Australia since 2002.
Friday’s nine-wicket capitulation in Adelaide was Australia’s heaviest loss by wickets in an ODI at home since 1992.
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Pakistan proved it was no fluke in Perth on Sunday, again destroying the Aussies missing captain Pat Cummins, as well as fellow rested Test stars Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne, by eight wickets.
After playing in the first two ODIs, Cummins flew home to Sydney for rest, and went to a Coldplay concert on Sunday night with wife Becky.
Allan Border Medal winner Mitch Marsh and World Cup hero Travis Head are on paternity leave and missed the entire series.
Clarke, who captained Australia to the 2015 ODI World Cup triumph, could not believe how this series had been treated.
Australia have prioritised trying to win the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the first time since 2017 as they prepare to play India in a five-Test series this summer.
“I’m just a bit confused, so 11 days between now and the first Test (in Perth), why can’t the Aussie boys who are part of this Test series play in the one-dayer?” he said on his Big Sports Breakfast radio show on Monday.
“If Australia had won the first two games, then you can understand why they rest their big fish, but it was series on the line.
“You can’t expect the fans to want to come and watch one-day cricket.
“We are bagging one-day cricket, no one is turning up, hasn’t got the interest.
“I feel like we obviously don’t care about losing that series.
“If you’re not going to care, we’re not going to care.”
International white-ball matches outside of world cups has been in steady decline due to the sheer amount of cricket in the calendar.
Australia’s form either side of last year’s World Cup in India has been shaky, but they still managed to perform when it mattered by triumphing in the final.
