Published: Nov 20, 2013, 11:04 AM (IST)
Edited: Nov 20, 2013, 11:04 AM (IST)
Brad Haddin (right) had commented that Mickey Arthur was very insecure © Getty Images
Nov 20, 2013
Sacked Australian coach Mickey Arthur on Wednesday was bewildered with wicketkeeper Brad Haddin’s comments and termed it as ‘naive’. Arthur also added that Haddin’s place in the team is ‘unsustainable’.
“Brad for a long period of the time wasn’t part of the team. So for Brad to say those things is a little bit naive. Brad wasn’t aware of the direction I was taking the team,” Arthur’s comments on Fairfax Radio was quoted by Sydney Morning Herald.
“Brad was one of the senior players who lost his place, was left out for a young guy like Matthew Wade to come in for us to build a brand that was going to be sustainable over a period of time, because at [age] 35 the brand wasn’t going to be sustainable with Brad Haddin keeping wicket,” Arthur said.
The former Australian coach reacted after Haddin on Tuesday said that Arthur was insecure which reflected in his selection decisions and set the team back.
“[Mickey] was very, very insecure and that came across in a lot of our selections and our plays, I think, to be perfectly honest. I think [the brand of cricket we want to play] got lost in the period that Mickey had a hold of us. I don’t think he understood and was secure enough in himself to get us to where we needed to go. Under Darren [Lehmann] we’ve got a clear message of where we want to go and how we’re going to get there. He’s able to help guys on the way to get to that point,” Haddin had commented.
Arthur further elaborated on the criticism and said that the team culture was not in place and he did the job to the best of his ability to bring Australian cricket back where it deserved to be.
“A couple of them that were jumping at shadows were the guys who weren’t doing what was expected, those were the guys trying to take short cuts, You don’t come in and mess with a culture that has been successful… [but] the cycle had turned, we had lost a lot of experienced players, which meant we needed to create our own brand, our own culture, and put in place a sustainable value system that any player coming up from state level could walk straight in and feel comfortable and know what is expected of them.
“I did that job to the best of my ability, I can look back on my time there and say I gave it an almighty crack. If that crack wasn’t good enough, I can live with that, but I did try to get Australian cricket back to where it deserved to be,” Arthur was quoted by the newspaper.
Arthur was sacked ahead of the Ashes tour earlier this year and Lehmann was brought in just days ahead — a decision which was endorsed by the Australian players.
Australia, having lost the Ashes in England, will be under pressure as they beginning their campaign at home with the first Test starting Brisbane on November 21.
Full Schedule of Ashes 2013-14
