Wallaby Rugger Man to scrum down for Australian cricket

Peter Lalor, in The Australian 14 Oct. 2011, with title “”Cricket Australia picks a Wallaby, Pat Howard, to lead the way”

THE man appointed to lead Australian cricket out of the ash-strewn wilderness has played 20 Tests, but they did not involve stumps, red balls or lunch breaks. Pat Howard, 37, a former rugby international, was yesterday appointed to the new position of Cricket Australia’s general manager team performance. He played 20 Tests for the Wallabies during the 1990s and was recently the high-performance manager for the Australian Rugby Union, but admits his cricket playing experience is rather limited.

That underarm moment in World Cricket History …. so Un-Iconic

 1 February 1981: “Richie Benaud said this the most disgraceful thing he had seen on a cricket field. On February 1, 1981, New Zealand were playing Australia in the third of the best-of-five finals of the World Series in Melbourne. 15 were needed off the final over, to be bowled by Trevor Chappell, younger brother of Ian and Greg. It came down to seven off the last ball with Brian McKechnie on strike. Captain Greg instructed Trevor to roll the ball along the ground. Underarm bowling was still legal, even if unethical, and Chappell’s unsporting act was roundly criticised. After the incident, underarm bowling was banned.” — http://www.sharegoodstuffs.com/2011/09/crickets-most-iconic-moments.htmhttp://

The Argus Review: Axe falls for the men who sacked Katich

Courtesy of The Weekend Australian, 20-21 August 2011, http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/sport/axe-falls-for-the-men-who-sacked-simon-katich/story-e6frg7rx-1226118423719 ……Its come too late to save the Ashes or Simon Katich, but the men who axed the prolific opener two months ago have lost their jobs as part of the wide ranging Australian Cricket Review released yesterday.  Chairman Andrew Hilditch and talent development manager Greg Chappell are both gone from that selection panel and the last man on the panel, Jamie Cox, is no certainty to keep his job. Head coach Tim Nielsen is also left to consider his future after his job was redefined and he was told he could reapply for it.’s

Pic from AFP

Chair of the review, Don Argus, claimed yesterday that it “was not a witch hunt” and chairman of Cricket Australia Jack Clarke insisted that “it should not be seen as scapegoating”, but the report has clearly taken aim at the roles of selectors. The players, coaches and elite performance structures, however, do not escape blame for the failures of Australian cricket. Under the new selection set-up, which CA says it aims to establish soon, there will be a five-man panel with a full-time chairman.