Why international cricket is no ordinary workplace
Brett Geeves recalls his tour of South Africa with the Australian team in 2009 to illustrate the strange realities of working as a professional cricketer
ESPNcricinfo staff
25-Oct-2016
Brett Geeves toured with the Australian squad to South Africa in 2009. He played only one ODI and one T20I on the tour and never played international cricket again. That brief exposure, though, was enough for him to draw certain conclusions about the work environment of an international cricketer.
Writing for foxsports.com.au, Geeves asserts that "there is not one thing about professional cricket that is comparable to work in the real world" - and then goes on to elaborate.
There are few, if any, policies, guidelines, behavioural codes or punishments for displaying the coping mechanisms of a spoiled five year old who hasn't learnt to share; unless of course you aren't performing, or injured, then you can't sneeze down wind of the coach without getting a written warning.
Cricket coaches and players are not capable of implementing appropriate communication processes to ensure harmony among men. They just aren't experts in this field. They are too reliant on how it was done when they played, or the values ingrained in them as kids, or selfish excesses of power and ego that we are seeing monetised at the optimal Christmas book selling time.