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| Don Argus |
1. The appointment of a high performance general manager to oversee all Australian teams, male and female and all state cricket and answerable directly to the CEO of CA
2. The change to a new selection process where there will be one full time chairman of selectors, two part time selectors and the captain and national head coach. Andrew Hilditch is not available for the full time role.
3. A new head coach position which will be much expanded on the current role Tim Neilsen holds. The role will have responsibility beyond the national teams and will include state teams and women's cricket. Assistant coaches will be appointed to coach ODI and Twenty20 teams.
Greg Chappell is currently the National Talent Manager and the changes prohibit that role being part of the selection committee. Further, the role of National Talent Manager will close at the end of Chappell's contract.
It took a big business approach to do the dirty business and finally removed Andrew Hilditch but more importantly, these changes start to address the concerns of players. The public should also be well pleased with the job the Argonauts have done. The rest of the report should make interesting detail.
The following long term goals will be further considered by the Board of CA following consultation with key stake holders such as the state associations:
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| Get the message Andrew? |
• Reviewing the Futures League, recognise Grade cricket as a vital part of pathway, review the composition and structure of under-age competitions, ramp up Australia A and use it as a genuine 2nd XI.
• Reviewing Australian cricket’s first-class pitch strategy, with each pitch to offer a balance between bat and ball, and each pitch to be unique to local conditions, offering Test-equivalent conditions.
• Improving injury management.
• Improving national coaching systems.
• Aligning cricket’s incentive systems, including the MOU, to give greater emphasis to linking reward with performance and to ensure player payment incentives for Test cricket reflect its position as cricket’s premium format.
• Reviewing the number of CA contracts.
• Carefully assess Big Bash League private ownership implications to ensure private ownership does not incentivise BBL expansion in a manner compromising CA’s goal to be number one ranked Test nation.
As with any report it will be interesting to see what is adopted and what it not. Govt has a delightful habit of ignoring inconvenient recommendations; let's hope CA does not.
ReplyDeleteThe issue of spin bowling is a real problem for mine, and one that has very deeply rooted causes. Every time I read an article from a older spinner like Saqlain they comment how most spinners aren't prepared to give the ball any flight and entice the batsman to drive. Swann is a rare breed indeed. I wonder how many spinners get decent spells at grade level as I fear 20/20 has turned spinners into dart-throwers. At state level we rarely hear of a spinner bowling 30 odd overs and getting 6/100 nowadays. At the same time we have an unprecedented amount of injuries to fast bowlers. Unless we've lost the age-old part-time medium bowler something's missing from bowling attacks these days.
We heard of it last year. Hauritz picked up a few pfieffers after being dumped. I like the fact that the Argonauts are concerned about the game right back to the grass roots level. I heard Don Argus commenting about the fact people have less time to spend playing cricket with work commitments and family commitments these days, therefore the old heads are disappearing. Your point on spinners is true and its not rocket science to work out what has caused it - too much one day cricket. Even in my town, the association schedules more Twenty20 rounds every year and less two day cricket.
ReplyDeleteI've got on board my cricket's association executive and it has been made clear to me that SACA has no influence over what 'we' as the assoc decide is in the best interests of the assoc and clubs. I don't necessarily have a problem with this but across the board we're seeing more and more limited overs cricket at amateur level.
ReplyDeleteWhen you have a brand new format that forces itself to be accommodated into a season's fixture something has to give.