Darren Lehmann has been found guilty of breaching Cricket Australia’s code of conduct by Commissioner John Price and had a $3000 fine suspended for two years.
His crime? Accusing West Indian Marlon Samuels of being a chucker, which he obviously is.
He’s banned from bowling in the IPL but he hasn’t even been called in the Big Bash League.
Yet the former Test batsman and current Queensland coach receives a suspended sentence?
What a farce, the equivalent of being belted by a feather. It was a cop-out result because Cricket Australia can’t disagree with Lehmann’s comments.
Why didn’t CA do something about Samuels earlier, before Lehmann stood up to be counted?
Meanwhile, next week Brett Lee faces disciplinary action from Cricket NSW for having the ‘audacity’ to call for the sacking of CEO Dave Gilbert over his sacking of NSW coach Anthony Stuart.
NSW cricket has always been strong, but not anymore. The CEO, who has been in the chair for 11 years, must be held accountable. A coach is rarely to blame by himself, it’s a combination of administration factors and failures.
That’s why the buck stops with Dave Gilbert. He’s the boss.
I get the strong impression it’s not Gilbert who has charged Lee, but Cricket NSW as a governing body.
Lee is a fearless character, and he will welcome the hearing next week if he can have a crack at the entire administration face to face.
Hopefully Cricket NSW won’t cop out and send a sole commissioner in to do battle with Lee, who has plenty of ammunition to fire.
So instead of pillaring Lehmann and Lee by hiding behind some legal fancy footwork by Cricket Australia and Cricket NSW, hear what they have to say, take it in, and act on the net result.
Because Darren Lehmann and Brett Lee are two highly intelligent and switched on former Test players who are right on the money.
Christo the Daddyo
Guest
Agree with the general thrust of the article, but... How do you "pillar" someone?
Bondy.
Guest
Strange decision, its a bit like the police stealing your car.
V44
Roar Rookie
Agree 110%. Unfortunately just another example of "shoot the messager".
Bunny Boy Marty
Guest
Concur on all counts. Something like this was bound to happen when they started tinkering with the laws to allow "15 degrees". If Samuels played in Australia he would be pulled up in the under 12s. As for Bing, good on him. No secret that Gilbert was a decent cricketer but a lousy administrator / man manager. Sadly he is supported by a governance structure that might have been OK in 1925, but sadly lacking in today's professional world. -- Comment left via The Roar's iPhone app. Download The Roar's iPhone App in the App Store here.
Reece Jordan
Roar Pro
Completely agree. Players and coaches have voices, and minds, and it's reprehensible to see them fined when they speak with them. It's even more disgusting because Lehmann and Lee were right on both counts. What a joke.