Australian cricket slammed

Wow … what an extraordinarily incriminating cricket report out of Australia. This scathing, no-holds-barred evaluation slams a unit that not long ago was considered the globe’s champion sporting team. The Argus review has been an eagerly awaited document and now that it is in the public domain it would have certainly shaken a few egos, let alone damaged reputations. In fact if you read through it you will actually struggle to find anything positive about Australian cricket. Don Argus and his esteemed colleagues have delivered a document that has rattled cages and kick-started the long walk back to redemption.

It is a damning report that has been the result of years of disintegrating relationships, coupled with decaying team ethics. The one thing that hit me between the eyes upon scanning this report was the regular and obvious reference to the need for “adult conversation” as well as an improvement in team culture. Maturity is an integral part of the DNA of a successful sportsman or a successful sporting operation and this blatantly clear message is particularly disparaging.

This report was compiled following extensive interviews with some 61 key stakeholders and it is the most significant examination of Australian cricket ever undertaken. Such was their desire to correct wrongs that some of those individuals brought reams of notes and suitably primed laptops detailing concerns to the discussions.

All aspects of the game at the highest level in Australia copped a pounding. Simply put, the batting, bowling and fielding was inadequate according to the release, particularly when subjected to pressure. The various skill levels of the players were caught in the crosshairs, as well as the coaching methods questioned. Unsurprisingly a special barrage was reserved for the selection process which has been baffling at best. Virtually no-one has been spared criticism, and casualties are the result. More will follow or fall on their sword. Who would have imagined such a scathing document regarding a team that ruled the roost with such dominance not that long ago?

I would hope that all cricketing nations are devouring the report's contents with fervour and simultaneously doing some checks and balances whilst assessing their own backyards. Considering the wretched performance in England, I recommend that the BCCI get triplicate copies and distribute them with enthusiasm to the relevant office bearers. Before they land on those individuals’ desks, some independent authority should boldly highlight the clause regarding protecting and monitoring the expansion of the Big Bash so that it in no way compromises Australia's goal to be the No1 ranked test nation.

A serious admission in the report was the lack of succession planning when Australia was such a dominant force in world cricket. When the best in the business were piling on the runs in a rampaging fashion or devastating batting line-ups with probing pace followed by a certain tweaker’s flight and guile, the cracks were invisible. A handful of years later the reality of an unsatisfactory mid-table berth in the current test rankings is the reward. Minus some superstars, the slump has been astonishing, and confusing management decisions have compounded the malaise. A normally proud sporting nation has been kicked in the guts.

Additionally, an aspect of the recommendations of this report will gall Australians. The Argus review concludes that numerous steps should urgently be taken to get the beleaguered Australian team back on course. Many of the suggestions are a copycat version of the implementations that England installed following the Schofield report on the state of English cricket in 2006. That action plan has now catapulted England to the top of the tree.

Strewth!