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Mickey Arthur’s comments made to the ABC haven’t been well-scrutinised, until Peter FitzSimons’ column today.
And what extraordinary comments they are. The interview that the ABC conducted with Arthur reveals a number of very strange comments.
It’s not just the resurgence of the Australian cricket team under Darren Lehmann that shows that Arthur approached things in a way that doesn’t make sense.
It’s that Arthur had the wrong reasons for playing players, and the wrong goals for winning – or losing. Read on.
First of all, there is no shortage of praise for the manner in which Lehmann has come in and steadied the ship.
It’s more than that: he’s finally brought direction to a boat which was on the verge of sinking – and those on board were at least partly scuttling it themselves.
What is picked out by FitzSimons’ in his piece today was a startling quote regarding Brad Haddin, and that word ‘brand’.
The differences between Arthur and Lehmann are never more stark here.
Arthur was quoted as saying that the reason why he dropped Brad Haddin was because “the brand wasn’t going to be sustainable with [sic] him keeping wicket.”
“‘Brad,” he said, ”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.”
It goes further.
The ABC would later quote Arthur in his attempts to explain the crushing defeat our boys experienced over in England — coming incredibly close to justifying the defeats as part of a grander plan.
“We had a goal that I will reveal. We wanted to try to push England really hard in England, but we wanted to win in Australia, this is what Michael and I wanted to do. We didn’t go into the series ever to lose it, but we wanted to develop enough intelligence on all the England players… We’ve put some stuff in place that we believe can get this team there in the next 24 months.”
We all have to be realistic. But to go and assume defeat, on the vague basis that being beaten will mean being able to turn it around back home is very worrying.
Since Lehmann’s appointment in late June, Australia’s has won half of their matches across all T20s, ODIs and Tests. Yet when you factor in the time of preparation that Lehmann has had — particularly for the Ashes series he was somewhat thrown into to begin with — such a record isn’t that bad at all. Two comfortable wins in two home Tests isn’t a bad conversion rate either.
As FitzSimons’ rightly says, and I paraphrase, Lehmann is a man after our own hearts.
The masterminds behind Australia’s upcoming Ashes campaign (AFP PHOTO / GLYN KIRK).
And the numbers — as good as they might be in the past few months — don’t tell the full story of Lehmann’s success. And the numbers most likely won’t be the hallmarks of his legacy as the coach of the national team.
The numbers never were the biggest thing with Lehmann.
It was always a mentality. A mentality of success, of playing the game for the right reasons.
The former Australian batsman has brought with him the same love for the game infused with an inherent desire for victory, and it’s turned what was a sinking ship back into a dominant force.
It hasn’t been magical: simply a successful pattern focussed on doing the simple things right and focusing solely on the victory right in front of them.
Even those that supposedly didn’t fit the “brand”, but have been brought back in by Lehmann under an inherently more sensible basis can see the change.
“[It’s] refreshing to get back here now and enjoy the game for what it is,” Haddin said as to the difference that Lehmann has brought.
“A great game and been great for all of us.”
Because, at the end of the day, whether they’re playing for Australia, NSW or simply Parramatta fifth grade, cricket is supposed to be enjoyed. And that’s supposed to produce confidence.
That confidence, in turn, produces success.
That might not leave Lehmann with the greatest legacy as a coach — whenever he finished up with the team — but it does leave him having won the respect of the players and the Australian public. Which, as far as the “brand” of cricket is concerned, is more than his predecessor ever managed to achieve.
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