So here we are trying to win the Cricket World Cup, and we have an egotistical sideshow erupting that threatens to derail Australia’s high end plans.
When the Crows won the AFL flag in 1997 and ’98, everyone at West Lakes was on the same page. The coach was in charge, the players were fully focused, the administration was tight and the fans were rusted on.
Granted Adelaide did enjoy a little luck along the way, but ostensibly the club won those flags because there were no outriders.
That can’t be said about the Australian cricket team at the moment.
Everyone seems to know, yet no one is prepared to say publicly, that coach Darren Lehmann and captain Michael Clarke are having some issues. Darren won’t say as much publicly, he’s a professional, and that’s the best practice.
But things escalated yesterday when Shane Warne, who is very close to Clarke, threw out a hand grenade that didn’t go off, though the pin is loose.
Warne said that Darren Lehmann is overstepping his mark within the team. He told 2GB that Michael Clarke had more to do with the team’s resurgence in the past 15 months than Lehmann.
“It was Michael Clarke who taught them how to win,” Warne said.
“You know they had three or four different coaches, Darren Lehmann’s come on and put a bit of icing on the cake, he’s actually complemented Michael Clarke.
“He’s got to be a little bit careful, he’s got to stop walking out on the MCG and declaring.”
This was over the late Boxing Day Test declaration which stand-in captain Steve Smith insisted last Sunday he was fully responsible for.
The point I am making is some of the best sides in the world have been railroaded by internal politics, egos butting heads and internal bickering. Whatever Shane Warne says, the media will pick it up and run with it. Some outlets will read more into it than others, but whatever, Warne’s comments resonate around the world.
Today he’s tweeting that the media have overreacted regarding his comments on 2GB. He’s suggesting that he and Lehmann are friends. That may be the case but just as the rift between Clarke and Cricket Australia was losing steam, it is now on fire again, thanks to Warne’s comments.
If the Australians are to flourish in the World Cup and beyond they need to be strong within. And that means the Warne and other personalities of this world who have privileged information need to zip it, rather than inflaming what is already smouldering ashes.
JGK
Roar Guru
Yep. I love our cricket team but Jaysus they are a precious lot.
Dalgety Carrington
Roar Guru
He comes up with some good strategic and skill-based ideas, but it is hard to take him totally seriously when he discusses the broader issues as for every sensible comment, there's probably two or three borne right out of his fairly limited perspective on life.
Play the Game
Guest
You are absolutely right,you hit it right on the head.....look at who you got in the camp...David Warner, Michael Clarke, Brad Haddin and Mitchell Johnson,wouldn't take much to disrupt this lot.
Julian King
Roar Guru
If the media run with the story, then they are equally to blame for any potential destabilisation. That being said, if Warne's comments are capable of disrupting the camp, then it's the camp that has the issue.
Play the Game
Guest
Oz cricket at the top level and Channel 9 cricket sports commentators are full of narcissists, no wonder be get so much nonsense .
Kingo
Guest
Warne is entitled to say whatever the hell he wants to,most of it is true anyway .
JGK
Roar Guru
Why should he pull his head in? It's not like he's taking out front page advertisements in The Australian.
JGK
Roar Guru
Bloody hell - he responds to one question out of plenty in a 36 minute interview and suddenly he's "trying to dominate the headlines". Warne is one of the best thinkers about the game at the moment, why on Earth would you want to muzzle him.
Broken-hearted Toy
Guest
It's always about Warne's desire for the spotlight. He's such an attention-seeker, it's never a surprise when he comes out with this sort of stuff.
Ross Fleming
Roar Rookie
This is a good article, Warne needs to stop this blind support for his friend Clarke and support our team and boof who has to be the best coach in world cricket.
Bob GOOCH
Guest
I am not sure wether Clarkes ego comes anywhere near Warnes. Regretfully Warne doesn't have the ability to know when to pull his head in
Jay
Guest
If Clarke told him to speak publicly on it then it just shows how bad Clarke's judgement is, because this is just going to increase tensions. Clarke and Warne probably get on so well because they can soothe each others massive ego's and tell each other how amazing they are.
Andrew Kitchener
Roar Guru
Sick and tired of Warne trying to dominate the headlines from the sidelines. He does seem to have quite an infatuation with Michael Clarke!
Kingo
Guest
Personally I get sick of the ,nothing to see here,move along all is well theme that gets put out by all our sporting heads,it's boring . And it's untruthful and it's a big lie. What goes on behind closed doors is so obviously different to the usual.we are training well.We all support the captain.Boof is just the coach he doesn't make any on field decisions,oh please spare me.
Kingo
Guest
Well I think it's what's happening so maybe by Warne saying what everyone is already feeling it can bring things to a head and they can all sit down like adults and work it out and then have a hug and get on with winning the World Cup which they would win regardless of any friction anyway because they are that much better than any of the other teams .
Winston
Guest
At any workplace with heaps of people, you might not invite everyone to your family bbq, but that doesn't mean you can't work together. A cricket team should really be the same, with the only difference being that because it gets the spotlight underperformers get chopped more easily. We will never know whether Clarke and Lehmann have issues with each other, but even if they do, it doesn't mean they can't work together. That's as long as their roles are clearly defined, and that's not really for them to decide but for higher powers. There is the human element to any team of course which goes parallel with simple statistics on runs and wickets, but I would have thought that just means it's also part of team selection and management. It seems like therefore there is actually nothing new in what Warne is saying, except that he's spun it in a way which makes it sound like the Australian team is going to implode. It's not going to implode. Just like Man City won't tolerate Tevez not going onto the pitch, Australian cricket didn't tolerate Andrew Symonds deciding to take a fishing trip during work hours. This is simply us overreacting to the Warne's statements. Of course, it's a completely different issue as to why he is saying all these publicly. One can only assume it's for his own publicity.
Larney
Guest
Whether he knows what's going on or he doesn't know what's going on, or has an opinion, to air it and cause controversy in the middle of a World Cup is destructive. There is nothing constructive about this criticism.
Kingo
Guest
I think Warne is just stating what is actually happening rather than the usual political spin that gets bandied about,like we are all friends,rift what rift,or no CA are really happy with Michael Clarke. The undercurrents are there for all to see just Warne says it publicly . Personally I prefer it gets said rather than listening to the continual BS that all is well.