CHESTER-LE-STREET: Australia captain Michael Clarke said his batsmen, including himself, had to get more runs if they were to turn the Ashes tide on home soil later this year.
Current hosts England, who’d already retained the Ashes, took an unbeatable 3-0 lead in the five-match series with a dramatic 74-run win in the fourth Test at Chester-le-Street on Monday.
“I want our batters to get more runs. I’d like our batting to be stronger,” Clarke said. “Our bowlers are doing a fantastic job. I don’t think we are making enough runs it’s as simple as that.”
Clarke, who made a superb 187 in the drawn third Test at Old Trafford, included himself in the criticism after managing just 27 runs in total at Chester-le-Street.
“I am part of the batting unit -- I am not different to any other batter in that order -- my job is first and foremost to score runs and I only made 27 in this Test and that’s unacceptable,” said Clarke.
Australia have now gone eight Tests without a win, a sequence they will try to end in the final match of this series at The Oval in south London starting on August 21.
“We are working exceptionally hard, that is all we can keep doing. It’s extremely disappointing.” REUTERS
