Spinner Doherty blames his axing on selectors’ panic

SYDNEY - After being dropped from the third Ashes Test in Perth, Australian left-arm spinner Xavier Doherty insinuated panic in the minds of the selectors and said he would have liked to have a few more chances to prove his worth.

Doherty made his debut in the first Test at The Gabba and was dropped after a below average performance in Australia’s embarrassing innings defeat in the second Test at the Adelaide Oval.

“There is probably a little bit of panic there, but it is only a short series,” Doherty was quoted as saying by the Daily Telegraph.

“We have got to turn it around pretty quickly. In an ideal world, I would have liked a few more chances.”

“You have seen how many spinners they have used over the last couple of years, so I am sure the selectors are not quite sure who the next person is. But I am sure if I am given another chance, I can certainly make an impact,” he said Saturday.

Doherty had a forgettable outing in the second Test as he picked up just a wicket conceding 158 runs, almost at the rate of run a ball. But the 27-year-old termed the experience a dream and not a nightmare.

“I started to feel the pressure,” he said.

“Once I started leaking a few boundaries instead of getting back to the basics of what I learnt in Shield cricket over the last couple of years, I probably went searching for a few more wickets and probably produced a few more bad balls,” he conceded.

“It cuts me pretty deep to know I did not put in my best performance in Adelaide and knowing I am a better bowler than that.”