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Hit the straight ones and watch the ball.
That’s the basic advice Australian coach and selector Darren Lehmann has handed out to his side after their 221-run loss in the first Test against Pakistan.
Australia made 303 and 216 in the Dubai Test which concluded on Sunday and face a quick turnaround before Thursday’s second and final Test in Abu Dhabi.
Lehmann says the game’s fundamentals need to be addressed and Australia’s batsmen must get their heads around the fact that pitches in the United Arab Emirates do take turn, but not as much as the infamous “bunsen burners” of India.
“This is a very good cricket wicket and we didn’t adapt well enough and didn’t play well enough,” Lehmann said on Monday.
“When you are talking about learning how to play in these conditions we got beaten on the other side, with less spin.
“You would think it would spin more.
“We got beaten with straight balls, I think five or six dismissals throughout the game.
“We have to get better at hitting the straight ball. Watching the ball for a start.
“But they are things the guys will work on.”
Lehmann wants Australia to regain their “aggressive brand” of cricket.
“We were a little bit timid at stages and we’ve got to be a little bit more aggressive I would think,” he said.
While disappointed with the loss which has crushed hopes of a return to the No.1 Test ranking, Lehmann has retained his sense of humour.
“We were disappointing with the bat weren’t we!” he said.
“One of the things we haven’t done on the subcontinent is make big scores.
“We need to start piling it on. We should have made 500 on that wicket.
“You have got to get through the first 20 or 30 balls and you are okay.
“Understand that a lot of the wickets are going to have no spin, so maybe we are trying to play for things that aren’t there.”
While Steve Smith (22 and 55) looked comfortable against spin at No.5, first drop Alex Doolan (5 and 0) did not.
Lehmann deflected a question about changing the batting order, saying it’s up to the captain Michael Clarke.
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