Posted by   on (March 12, 2013, 19:22 GMT) - Featured comment

How are great teams built ? Crickets greatest teams have always had characters, men with supreme skills, but with different temperaments , united though by one goal, of winning. Yes discipline is important but it's not the only thing, winning is. Somehow one gets the sense that cricket in teams like England and Australia is becoming too strait jacketed, too much only for the straight and narrow, too stifling in it's oppressive diktats to conform to " policy" . Above all you need great leadership to forge a great team out of talented individuals. One need look no further than Clive Lloyd , imran khan , saurav ganguly or Steve Waugh. Michael Clarke clearly is taking some things disproportionately seriously than others and with a " my way or the highway approach" he will only cobble together a team of yes men , most of whom will live in fear of an axing if they were to go against the diktat of the coach n captain. If they still win from here, respect to them.

Well said. I have no sympathy for them. They had plenty of time to complete a fairly simple task. Their failure to do so shows a great lack of respect for their coach and team mates.

This is not the essays and powerpoint presentations that some people are making them out to be, just a simple 3 dot points in an email, or a note under the door, or just sitting down with the coach for a discussion.

I agree that this may backfire on them and cause more tension within the team, but I prefer to think that it will make everyone realise that nobody is untouchable. They need to earn their place, and not just through good stats. They need the right attitude also. Australia was not going to make it back to the top with people who think they don't have to participate in tasks assigned to the team/squad.

Posted by   on (March 12, 2013, 4:43 GMT) - Featured comment

When Australia were struggling under Alan Border in England, Border tightened up the reins. Craig McDermot tired to give the chain a tug. Border tugged right back - so hard that McDermot the big fast bowler started crying. Border got Australia back to winning ways.

This is tough hard business and attitudes are MOST important. Look at the West Indies. After decades of dominance the culture declined. People were taking it easy. Otis Gibson's tough stand was unpopular with some - Gale & Sarwan had to go. After getting the culture and commitment right, they are back in the team under the coach's terms of playing hard committed cricket.

The only sad part of this Australian situation is that Pattinson was one of the four. I cannot believe that room mates did not prompt the guys. Or were the four hanging out together?

It's good to bring corporate level accountability and professionalism in every field. We need to do exactly same as software engineers. But a breech needs to be handled in a professional way as well. When you have critical delivery round the corner, you can't drop your best engineer from work because he is not following protocols. You need to balance the delivery, ethics and culture. The punishment was needed but it was poorly timed and managed. You just need to ensure that offenders can be differentiated from the rest and put to additional work. Current punishment is a last resort and it now affects team's ability, moral and output.

GREAT article! This is pretty much spot on. There can be no hiding from the fact that there has been a lapse in attitude when we SHOULD see the players busting a gut to leave no stone unturned. If players like Ussie & MJ clean forgot - WHERE is their heads at? Watto as VC should of been one of the first to complete the task - heaven knows he has some stuff to work on! Yes they were treated like SCHOOLBOYS - but that is what they ACTED like! I wish I was on $300 or $400k to play cricket (& assuming I was good at it), & then have a simple task which involved THINKING about my passion! It should NOT be too hard! I am NOT an Arthurs fan, I don't think he is right for the team, but I support the decison he, Clarke & the Mgr made. A line in the sand needed to be drawn. One of the things the players have NOT been doing is filling out their wellness reports! Really? The players are that fit they THINK they don't need to be monitored? The only players in that category have JUST retired!

You're right on the money here Brydon. These guys are highly paid professionals and need to start behaving accordingly. These players have not onlly displayed a lack of discipline, but a total lack of respect for the management and more importantly their team. Australian teams in the past may not always have displayed these two qualities, but were still able to win matches on the back of individual performances from their superstars. Michael Clarke aside, there are no superstars in this side and they are going to have to learn to work hard every minute of every day if they want to be successful. That requires discipline. At the elite level there is a very fine line between success and failure. Some of the players obviously don't understand this so Management has now drawn that line in the sand for them - which way will they go..?

Sorry, do not agree. Agreed that the players should have done this task asked by the coach, but the punishment is too heavy. There is no merit to this. You can reprimand them, counsel them, guide them but sack those players all of whom would have played the next test match and probably get you a draw if not a win right in the middle of a difficult tour? Sorry not done. I know players are professional but ultimately this is just a sport and should be played in that spirit. Imagine if not 4 but 7 players had broken the rule, then what? Only 10 players remain to play the match? Would they have flown in some new cricketers and handed them baggy green like its just another piece of cloth? There are better ways to inculcate discipline and team spirit, i don't think this was the right approach. Peace..