Arthur appointment a paradigm shift for Australia

The fact that Australia have appointed a foreign coach reveals a lot about where their cricket is at, Kepler Wessels writes on Supersport.com. It may also have ramifications on how many Australian coaches find jobs with other national sides, he says.

The decision at the conclusion of the review was that the Aussies wanted to return to the good old days of Australian cricket and adopt the hard line that made them so successful. The ideal candidate for this coaching style was Steve Rixon. He learnt his cricket and much of his coaching approach from the highly successful Bobby Simpson who coached Australia successfully for many years. It was thought also that captain Michael Clarke wanted a higher work ethic and more discipline. With all that in mind, Rixon was the strong favourite to get the job. What made Cricket Australia backtrack and go the diplomatic and non-confrontational route again is not quite clear.