‘Obviously a massively disappointing result’ - Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley reflects on ODI series loss against Pakistan

Australia recently lost a three-game ODI series to Pakistan after a close call in the first ODI where Australia won the game. Pakistan made an excellent comeback, defeating the Men in Yellow in the second and third ODIs and clinching the series. 

After the series loss, Cricket Australia’s CEO Nick Hockley recently took centre stage and branded the series loss against Pakistan as extremely disappointing. He also defended the selectors’ decision to release the players bound for the BGT 2024-25 in between the ODI series. 

“We have been criticised in the past, but not giving new players an opportunity to come in. I think there was a plan in place, and that plan was really to make sure that our all-format players were absolutely peak condition for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar series,” Hockley was quoted as saying by the Indian Express. 

“This was obviously a massively disappointing result, but I think a really good opportunity to expose some of the talent was coming through to the pressures of international cricket,” he added. 

I’m just a bit confused: Clarke

Recently, former Australia skipper Michael Clarke had a different mindset about the ODI series loss against Pakistan. Clarke opined that the selectors did not care about losing the series as they let several core players go due to the BGT 2024-25.

“I’m just a bit confused. So 11 days between now and the first Test [in Perth], why can’t the Aussie boys who are part of this Test series play in the one-dayer?” Clarke said on Big Sport’s Breakfast radio program.

“If Australia had won the first two games, then you can understand why they rest their big fish, but it was [the] series on the line,” he added. 

It is worth noting that Australia will continue their white ball series against Pakistan with three T20Is, whereas the core players will take on India in the Border-Gavaskar series 2024-25.