Australia Have Lost Their Fear Factor: Brian Lara
Nov 16, 2016 at 1:59 PM
Australia’s recent form in cricket has not been up to the mark. They have now lost 5 consecutive tests which is unlikely of the Australia we know. Australian captain, Steve Smith has spoken after their recent innings defeat at the Hobart to South Africa about the humiliation they went through in the hands of South Africa.
Now it is former legend Brain Charles Lara who comments on Australia’s miserable form in tests. Lara sees the similarity of Australia with the West Indies of the 1980’s and says that Australia has lost that “fear factor” which opponents used to worry about. Lara’s career began when the West Indies were in top form in the 1980s route their opponents. But gradually West Indies lost their fear factor although Lara emerged to be one of the cricketing greats. Lara finds the similarity of the West Indies of earlier times which lost their “fear factor” with Steve Smith Australia who are no longer feared by the opponents.
The left-handed batsman quotes “The fear factor is no longer there and a similar thing happened to the West Indies 25 years ago”
“When Australia beat us at home in 1995, no one feared us anymore and that’s going to be the situation with Australia.”
“Especially if they are not travelling well”
West Indies are now just a shadow of what they used to be. In the 1980’s they won 11 straight tests which was a world record then. And now the are placed at 8th in the world rankings ahead of only Bangladesh and Zimbabwe.
Lara also told the reporters how the morale of the team could affect a team’s performance. He urges the Australian team to remain unified which is very important at this moment. He fears Australia is going into a “downward spiral”as he feels Australia’s loss to Sri Lanka in July has given every other opponent a sense of their weaknesses and the belief to beat them.