Reaction muted over Johns PR stunt
Reaction has been muted to the news that New South Wales intend to allow Andrew Johns, the rugby league international, to play for them in the 2005-06 Twenty20 competition
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The unabashed publicity stunt was unveiled on Wednesday, but soon attracted the displeasure of Cricket Australia. "We have a strong view that it is not appropriate," a CA spokesman said. "Twenty20 cricket does not need gimmicks. It's there to attract a new audience but it is already doing that."
That was not the case according to Dave Gilbert, NSW's chief executive. "The states see Twenty20 as an opportunity to be as left field as possible," he said. "Nobody loses sleep if they win or lose."
Johns , however, seemed more worried about losing his teeth, and he sheepishly admitted: "I can't bowl real well, I can't bat and I can't field. It's a big class rise but fingers crossed, I don't get a bat and just get a bit of a field. Believe me, I'll need all the help I can get. The prospect of batting against Shaun Tait, who bowls as fast as Brett Lee, and Jason Gillespie in the first match is already giving me nightmares."
And Tait greeted the news with a remark that would only have added to Johns' insomnia. "You're fair game," he warned. "If the game's for points then it's hell for leather isn't it? If he is happy to play he has to be happy to take the heat.
"We're not going to go too stupid and make a big deal of it because it's obviously just a bit of fun for NSW," Tait added. "But if it comes to the crunch and the game's on the line I definitely won't be holding back."
What little club cricket Johns has played has been for Merewether. Geoff Curnow, their club secretary, described him as "ordinary" when he played for the fifth-grade team. "He played one game in 2000-2001 and got one run and no wickets," Curnow told the Sydney Morning Herald. "The season before he had six games and scored 82 runs at an average of 16.4 after a 35 not out and took two wickets at 30.5 apiece."
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