Is the current division in Australian cricket related to which side of the political aisle each party stands on?
And which generation they belong to?
Is it Cricket Australia, plus Pat Cummins and teammates, versus Justin Langer, Tim Paine and others?
They succeeded in making it so difficult for Paine he had to resign, now it is Langer’s turn.
Is the new generation flexing their muscles to have only those who fit their beliefs being part of the team?
If you do not follow Cummins’ and Cricket Australia’s attitude towards societal issues, then you have no show.
If people say that politics does not influence sport they are dreaming, most have a political side or just follow what their mates are saying. To fit in, you must follow the narrative.
Do Paine and Langer have old fashioned beliefs that do not fit modern society? They were brought in to instil a better team culture and they succeeded.
But now their time has run out. The new generation could only handle so much discipline.
We hear all the time how they are the ‘me, me’ generation who are so used to getting their own way, that when someone disrupts their ideology, they are cancelled.
I wrote this recently on The Roar:
“I asked a client who replied that her speculation was that those who were born in the early ’80s to 1995 were of the ‘everyone gets a prize’ generation, told they were special, talented, will be famous, they received participation trophies so now they believe by just existing they deserve that raise, that promotion.
“This came about because in the ’70s, people decided they wanted to boost their kids’ self esteem but the problem is that when people try to boost self esteem, they accidentally boost narcissism instead.
“All that self esteem leads them to be disappointed when the world refuses to affirm how great they know they are.
“Having been told all their lives that they are always right and their way is the best, when they grow up they cannot handle anyone who questions their belief or opinion.”
Are we seeing the millennial generation now influencing Australian cricket?
They do not like a boss, get rid of him. They do not like a captain, off he goes.
What do they actually want? They win the Ashes and the T20 World Cup and that still is not good enough for them.
If it is not to win, what is it?
Is it a vehicle for Cricket Australia to push their beliefs onto the public and players?
Taking the knee at games, who really wants to see that at a sporting event? And Cummins would be fully in support of it.
What sort of leader are they after? Someone who gives them more freedom, less discipline, and the right to manage issues themselves?
Are the Australian cricket players such spoilt brats they choose who runs the ship?
(Photo by Albert Perez – CA/Cricket Australia via Getty Images)
It would be interesting to ask them what do they want out of a team environment and their leader? Do they need a leader?
They know all the right answers, maybe they should just do it themselves.
What would you rather have, a team coached to win major prizes with disciplined methods or a team that loses, but everyone feels good about it, are happy and they are making the public aware of societal issues?
It will be interesting to see how they perform under a new coach who they approve of.
I am sure they will let us all know that they are wanting to perform at the highest level and win every game. But will that really happen?
Under Langer, they performed well, with a perceived heavy hand. What happens when that goes?
Will the nice guy, ‘yes you can do that’, ‘sure, whatever you say’ method be successful?
It is no fault of this generation as it is no fault of previous generations. A modern player may not fit into a 1960s team and vice versa.
So, what is the point of all this? This is just an observation that today’s players are seeking a different type of coach, rather than the strict disciplinarian type.
Will they get the coach they deserve?
It will be fascinating to watch how they perform under someone else if that is what happens.
If they fail and if Langer goes to England (probably not) and succeeds, what then?
Loomy
Guest
Strange dichotomy some people have. Where not wanting a volatile, abusive coach means the only other option is a 'yes-man' coach.
apbdillon
Roar Rookie
You are kidding me. Your take on Cummins is based on the skewed opinions of the Sky after dark cabal. Are you really pretending that stating the obvious that the next generations will suffer from climate change makes Cummins unsuitable to captain the Australian cricket team. Dividing people into woke and sensible is a false dichotomy. Perhaps you should read some climate science. Full disclosure. I am 62 on Monday and played first grade cricket in Sydney in the early 80s when the old values prevailed.
The Late News
Roar Rookie
This was two girls which only made it worse...
Jeff
Roar Rookie
This is why men and women should never connect. Just leads to propagating the issue.
Peter Darrow
Roar Guru
It appears to happen a lot. Look what they did to Paine.
The Late News
Roar Rookie
Yes Peter I tend to agree. I had a friend recently who lost her management job because one of her underlings came out with a sexual harassment claim. This of course was ridiculous but shows the lengths some people will go to discredit and get rid of a boss who's only problem was telling the younger staff member to work harder.
Gray-Hand
Roar Rookie
The first time Australia took a knee was in the West Indies in July 2021. Langer took a knee from the sideline. Cummins wasn’t even there. It’s weird that you keep bringing it up. The first two quotes from Cummins you have dismissed as ‘rubbish’. They would seem to be a pretty uncontroversial - anthropogenic climate change is accepted as a scientific fact by the vast majority. A sizeable majority of Australians, (including most conservative politicians) would agree with what Cummins has said. Cummins doesn’t have to be a woke leftie to write those words. It’s a pretty mainstream centrist view. As far as Cummins being an ‘activist’: 1. He’s not calling on the government to do anything, so he’s not a political activist any more than say Glen McGrath is with the Jane McGrath foundation. 2. Even if being an ‘activist’ means something, the activity he is promoting is completely benign. No one is harmed by it. There are no losers in what he is doing. It’s not like he’s calling for a mine or a factory to be shut down or anything. You’ve quoted Kenny claiming that Cummins supports policies that will destroy industries and cripple economies. At no point does Cummins say anything of the kind (he just wants to put solar panels on cricket club houses). That’s just misinformation by Kenny. And you repeated it without checking. You should try to be better than that. Also what Cummins is trying to do is practically the same as the current government’s solar rebate policy, so it’s no more woke than Scott Morrison on that issue. Kenny and Panahi also try to go after Cummins for his hypocrisy because he flies on planes and therefor has a large personal carbon footprint. This is a half smart line that no serious person tries to make. Firstly - the concept of a personal carbon footprint was invented by BP to shift blame away from fossil fuel companies to individuals. It’s been a wonderful distraction to prevent meaningful action on carbon emissions by preoccupying individuals with trying to limit their own tiny contribution (which they can’t really do) rather than demanding changes to industry practices which would be meaningful. Panahi and Kenny know this, but they repeat it because they don’t respect their audience. Secondly - Cummins isn’t being hypocritical. He isn’t telling anyone to stop flying in airplanes or to do anything he isn’t willing to do himself. There is nothing that Cummins has said or done to suggest that he is anything other than a political moderate.
Peter Darrow
Roar Guru
“The longer we take to take action, the more it’s going to be irreversible,” Cummins said. “We’re not the ones who will be hard hit – it’s the next generation.” What rubbish. Yes he is an activist. ““Yes, he’s going to be another climate activist. “Another global warming warrior. “As if we needed another one of those,” Mr Kenny said. “Of course being a climate change warrior won’t see Cummins make meaningful personal sacrifices such as finding a profession that doesn’t require him to continuously fly around the world on emission-spewing planes,” Panahi said. “No, like all wealthy global warming alarmists Cummins supports crippling policies that will adversely impact the living standards of the masses while his lifestyle and gargantuan carbon footprint remain unchanged.” said Rita Panahi You guys are funny, you defend him and deny what he is as though it is something to be ashamed of, I don’t like it because it is a load of rubbish which I would hate to be part of if I was in the team. Also, “Take the knee’, no chance.
Gray-Hand
Roar Rookie
I notice that you quoted only the click bait outrage headline because the content of the article doesn’t really support the idea that Cummins is particularly woke. Essentially, Cummins is heading up a program to fund the installation of solar panels on cricket clubs. This will save them thousands of dollars per year. It’s essentially no different than what the last 3 (notably not woke) coalition governments have pushed with their solar panel rebate. He hasn’t called for any change to any government legislation or policy, or even called on any government to take any action of any kind. It is completely apolitical and doesn’t criticise anyone. It’s hard to imagine anyone from the right taking issue with it. It is very hard to see how this would make anyone feel alienated, excluded or uncomfortable in any way.
Peter Darrow
Roar Guru
Well, believe it or not Gray Hand there are two worlds out there. It fascinates me that there are two groups of people who have such different views on the world. To me and others he is viewed as being woke because of views he has expressed about issues. If I share an opinion from lets call it the right, the normal reaction is to dismiss it. I will try anyway: "OPINION: Our Aussie cricket captain would rather wax lyrical about global warming than publicly commend coaching great Justin Langer, Rita Panahi writes".
Gray-Hand
Roar Rookie
Who has said that? And based on what?
Peter Darrow
Roar Guru
I've seen numerous comments from people announcing Cummins as "some kind of woke leftie".
Gray-Hand
Roar Rookie
Not sure where you are getting that impression from. Pretty sure that Cummins take on the BLM movement isn’t significantly different to Langer’s - they have both expressed general support but are not particularly vocal or passionate about it. Cummins has admitted to (regretting) making casually racist remarks to teammates of colour. He’s hardly some kind of woke leftie.
Peter Darrow
Roar Guru
What is annoying is the impression that if you don't fit in with the political beliefs of Cricket Australia and Pat Cummins views then you probably will have a difficult chance to get in. Taking the knee the obvious case.
Peter Darrow
Roar Guru
Yes, it can be used either way can't it. I guess time will give us the answer to all this.
Gray-Hand
Roar Rookie
I’m generation X.
Gray-Hand
Roar Rookie
If the team hasn’t really achieved anything, then Langer hasn’t either.
Peter Darrow
Roar Guru
Exactly.
Peter Darrow
Roar Guru
Year you were born gray hand?
Peter Darrow
Roar Guru
Yes, I'm getting sick of it. Get on with the game.