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In 48 hours, two international cricket sides have used being in a ‘transitional phase’ as an explanation for poor performances. While sides cannot be expected to win all the time, is this latest go-to excuse legitimate?
Three days before the start of their tour in South Africa, Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara put his team’s recent return of one win in eighteen matches down to being in a ‘transitional period’.
Sri Lanka take on the Proteas in three Test matches, followed by a five-match ODI series between mid-December and January.
Cricket Australia CEO James Sutherland echoed the same words in Australia today. Speaking on Fox Sports News, Sutherland was under intense pressure to explain why Michael Clarke and his team had lost a home Test – for the first time in twenty-six years – against trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand.
The Black Caps’ tense seven-run victory in Hobart has earned the Australians a storm of criticism from local media, many of whom believe Australian cricket is officially in crisis mode.
The loss of star players is the supposed catalyst behind Australia’s woes. Any team would feel the loss of names such as Hayden, Warne, Gilchrist and McGrath.
The most recent of these retirements was Hayden in January 2009. One would think that after two years Cricket Australia would have managed to construct a decent side.
Sri Lanka meanwhile, has arrived in South Africa with a bowling unit that is makeshift at best. Lasith Malinga has retired from Test cricket to prolong his availability for the shorter versions of the game and spin king Muttiah Muralitharan has hung up his boots as well.
While these greats are impossible to replace – they are all legends of the game after all – one cannot help but feel that both sides are in this predicament due to a lack of foresight.
There doesn’t seem to have been a succession plan in place at all. The result is selectors are scrambling to find players that deliver the expected results.
The pressure then, is on inexperienced players to hit the ground running and deliver before they have had time to find their feet.
Being in a transitional phase is a great excuse. One cant help but wonder whether its impact could should have been negated by responsible, proactive administration.
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