What is going on with Australian cricket?
First of all we had Ricky Ponting taking a few games off following the test series loss, which was all well and good, as it must have been extremely tiring under such immense pressure. But surely he should have stayed in England with the team? After all he is the captain.
Now we have the coach Tim Nielsen missing the last three games of the series, returning home to be with his family. Unless there is a family issue that we have not been made aware of, then he runs the risk of proving Shane Warne’s comment about a coach being the thing that drives you to the games being right.
If you were one of the players flown in for the one-day squad and with aspiration to be in the test team, how are you going to feel? It also gives the impression that now the test series is over Australia has lost interest. It must be very demoralising for the likes of James Hopes, Adam Voges, Cameron White and Callum Ferguson who have arrived to show England, and the selectors what they are capable of.
Have you ever heard of a coach in any sport going on holiday in the middle of a season or tournament? Surely that is why they get paid the big bucks, because they have a responsibility and a job that runs almost every waking hour. It is a privilege in most cases and should never be regarded as anything else.
Michael Clarke will no doubt be none too happy either as he tries to stake his claim on the captaincy by showing what he can do in the one-day series, to stake a claim for the test captaincy when Ponting does step down.
These top athletes and coaches want the big salaries, some would say that they deserve. But with that salary comes an obligation to see the job through and take holidays later. The one thing that fans cannot stand is hearing highly paid sports stars bleating about how tough their lives are. That is why they get paid the big bucks, because you have to make sacrifices. If you don’t like it or have found it’s not what you thought, step aside and let someone else take over.
As “Not The Footy Show” has proved there are plenty of athletes out there in various sports who receive a pittance but are equally as committed and in some cases more so. Whose lives would be made that much easier with a third of the salaries our cricketers earn in a year.
Would Steve Waugh have ever left his post, or Bobby Simpson? I doubt it very much, so shape up or ship out, as there are always others who will take your place.
