If it is in Cricket Australia's charter to be a spineless, ineffective organisation that does not stand by it's players or has any consideration for the fans then this year is a triumph of organisational strategy.
The number one clanger was this seasons' facrcical fixture. No international cricket at all during December. I have been following the great game of cricket for over three decades and I cannot ever remember this happening before. Imagine the AFL or NRL not having any matches during June! Then we come to the conclusion of this year's triangular series which has been one of the more keenly contested three way contests since the introduction to the format...it must be working so hey let's get rid of it.
While I can understand the reasoning behind the demise of the triangular format I cannot for the life of me work out why the second final is being played at a smaller venue on a Tuesday night. My theory is that CA wants this match to fail so they have justification for leaving Brisbane out of future discussions when it comes to programming the big matches. This series has generated a lot of interest with all of the mud slinging going on between the teams and due to the fact that Adam Gilchrist, a known crowd pleaser will be playing his last game in Brisbane. This match is not sold out and will not be televised as a result. The people of Brisbane have turned their backs on cynical CA programming. Tuesday matches work well in the middle of the series at venues such as Melbourne or Sydney but in Brisbane it is just a no go.
The second really big clanger this summer was how CA has consistently failed to support the Australian team. Regardless of what you think about the Indian team and their actions, at least their board stands by their players. The Australians have been hung out to dry on more than one occasion this season and the recent 'handling' of Matty Haydens off the cuff comments on Brisbane radio was an absolute disgrace. The Indians can get away with light blue murder but if one of our blokes sneeze they cop a sensure for spitting on the footpath.
Cricket Australia - Poor form. Very poor form indeed. Sit in the corner and have a bit of a think. RIGHT NOW.
regards,
REB