Australian cricket on brink of West Indies-style collapse: Rixon
By ANIThursday, February 17, 2011
MELBOURNE - Former wicketkeeper Steve Rixon fears that Australian cricket is on the brink of a West Indies-style collapse unless Cricket Australia takes tough decisions on key issues confronting the national team.
Rixon criticized the Australian cricket officialdom, and said there could be no excuses for the side’s slide down the Test rankings.
In an embarrassing loss to South Africa in Bangalore, all eight Aussie bowlers went wicketless and the middle order folded yet again.
According to the Daily Telegraph, some of Cricket Australia’s influential figures, including skipper Ricky Ponting and chief selector Andrew Hilditch, have moved to downplay the prevailing sentiment that Australian cricket is facing its most challenging time since the dark days of the 1980s.
Rixon warned Australia could suffer the fall from grace the West Indies experienced in the mid-1990s.
“We need to be doing a lot of things, Australian cricket is not healthy at the moment,” said Rixon, one of the sport’s most respected coaches.
“If the administrators want to play ostrich and put their heads in the sand, so be it. But I wish they would open their eyes and have a look. All I want to see is Australian cricket get back to its best and not fall as the West Indies have fallen so dramatically,” he added.
Rixon said Australia’s 3-1 Ashes drubbing and their recent one-day struggles should have sent alarm bells ringing. (ANI)
