New Delhi, Feb 17 (NationPress) Former Australian cricket star Mark Waugh has criticized the selectors for their decision to omit veteran batsman Steve Smith from the initial lineup for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, labeling it as “the most perplexing exclusion” and a direct affront to the experienced player.

A few days after being shocked by Zimbabwe in their Group B encounter, the 2021 champions faced another disappointing defeat against co-host Sri Lanka, who delivered a stellar performance to move into the Super Eight phase, placing Australia's chances of advancement in jeopardy as they have now lost two matches in a row.

Following Smith's initial omission, Australia decided to include him back into the squad mere hours before their crucial match against Sri Lanka, yet he did not make it into the final playing XI.

Waugh expressed, “I believe the entire campaign faced challenges from the start due to selection dilemmas and injuries. The preparation hasn’t been ideal. Everything has likely unfolded as I anticipated, even with the presence of a relatively weak group.”

He continued, “While it’s impossible to satisfy everyone, and tough decisions must be made, the exclusion of Steve Smith from the squad initially stands out as one of the most bewildering choices I can recall. This is a player who has consistently outperformed others in the BBL.”

“He’s an exceptional fielder and an adept player against spin. He should have been one of the first selections, yet he was excluded from the squad and even as a backup option, only to be left on the bench,” he remarked.

Waugh also expressed confusion over Matt Renshaw's absence from the lineup, despite his impressive scores of 37 and 65 in Australia’s opening matches. “In T20 cricket, finding form is notoriously difficult. You need to select players who are currently performing well, as batsmen don’t get the luxury of time to build confidence,” he stated.

“Examine the selections: Maxwell, Connolly, Green, and Inglis; all have been struggling with their form. Between them, Maxwell and Connolly haven’t scored a single run in three months. The selectors have their strategies, but they need to be astute enough to recognize which players are performing and which are not, optimizing their selections accordingly.”

Waugh further criticized the omission of Smith, calling it an insult to one of cricket’s legends. “Some selections have been utterly bewildering, and injuries have certainly compounded the issue. I firmly believe they have made the wrong choices, leaving our best player, by a significant margin, on the sidelines,” he concluded.

Following their eight-wicket defeat to Sri Lanka, Australia is now staring down the possibility of not advancing in the tournament. They will be hoping for an Irish victory over Zimbabwe to keep their slim hopes alive. If that happens, they will need a resounding win against Oman and rely on Sri Lanka to defeat Zimbabwe convincingly to improve their Net Run Rate (NRR).