Oz cricketers need to stop navel gazing and turn poor form around: Roebuck

SYDNEY - After being handed out a one-day series lost for the first time on Australian soil by Sri Lanka, the Australian cricket team would do well to heed legendary cricketer Sir Garfield Sobers words that “no cricketer is truly down in the dumps until he is thinking himself there”, says columnist Peter Roebuck.

Sobers is said to have conveyed this to a forlorn and struggling young Australian cricketer.

Roebuck says David Boon realised that his attitude had become a liability and promptly set about rebuilding his game. A glorious career followed.

“Now the Australians need to take heed of those words. The first step to turning things around is to start thinking constructively. Navel gazing does not get the job done. The second and equally crucial step is to recognise and confront clear weaknesses. Burying heads in sand is no use,” he says in his Sydney Morning Herald column.

According to Roebuck, Australia played some poor cricket at the SCG on Friday that led to their 29-run loss to Sri Lanka.

“Sri Lankan supporters blew instruments and waved flags but local enthusiasts stayed away. The Australians need to win them back and that will require intense effort,” he says.

“None of the bowlers caught the eye. None of the pacers exploited the conditions or moved the ball around enough to trouble capable batsmen or kept a tight enough line and length to put them under pressure,” he adds.

“Ricky Ponting is doing his utmost to hold this side together but needs more help from his friends. He can decide tactics and set fields and inspire by example, but the rest is out of his hands,” Roebuck said. (ANI)