Dasa
International Vice-Captain
Choice of woman to help coach causes stir
By John Townsend
October 14, 2005
FAST bowling coaches are astounded and angry that Australian women's team player Cathryn Fitzpatrick is assisting coach John Buchanan before the Test against the World XI starting in Sydney today.
Reacting rapidly to criticism that little was done to help the struggling pace brigade during the disastrous Ashes tour, Cricket Australia indicated that more specialist coaches would be used to help the players.
But several former Test players were astonished that 37-year-old Fitzpatrick, who has played 12 Tests and 96 one-dayers, would be used ahead of highly credentialled male coaches.
"I can't cop that," Terry Alderman said. "There are highly talented fast bowling coaches around the country who can't get jobs yet they get someone like that in."
Fitzpatrick was involved with the Australian team during the three one-dayers in Melbourne last week but sparked a minor controversy when one batsman refused to allow her to throw balls to him during a training session.
Geoff Lawson, who attended every day of the Ashes series but was not asked to help the pacemen despite offering his services to Buchanan, could not fathom Fitzpatrick's involvement with the Test team.
"It is simply bizarre," he said. "It is a symptom of too many peripheral and left-field coaching ideas rather than paying attention to the basics of preparing a cricket team to play a Test match. I don't know if Glenn McGrath or Brett Lee are going to pick up too much out of it, which makes you wonder what is the point of it."
But Dennis Lillee, who coached Fitzpatrick over several years during his time as head of Pace Australia, took a different tack with a tongue-in-cheek observation.
"You never know," he said. "If she paid attention to what I was saying, she might be able to add something of value."
Fitzpatrick, a club coach in Melbourne for eight years, was made a scholarship coach at Cricket Australia's Brisbane-based centre of excellence in April. Her partner, the recently retired Australian women's captain Belinda Clark, was appointed in July to run the new-generation academy.
A Cricket Australia spokesman yesterday said Fitzpatrick had not been brought in as a bowling coach. It is understood that she is not paid.
"She is doing an apprenticeship at the centre of excellence, and is here (in Sydney) assisting John Buchanan as an extra pair of hands in a range of ways, as assistant coaches do," the spokesman said.
Asked if Fitzpatrick was giving advice to any of Australia's bowlers, another spokesman said: "If she was asked, she might, but I've not seen her giving any of the bowlers coaching direction."
IMO, this is disgraceful IF people are objecting on the basis of Fitzpatrick being a woman. Sadly, I don't think any cricket team would be any better. What particularly galls me is this - "Fitzpatrick was involved with the Australian team during the three one-dayers in Melbourne last week but sparked a minor controversy when one batsman refused to allow her to throw balls to him during a training session." - I just don't understand it. Are women unable to throw balls correctly or something??
By John Townsend
October 14, 2005
FAST bowling coaches are astounded and angry that Australian women's team player Cathryn Fitzpatrick is assisting coach John Buchanan before the Test against the World XI starting in Sydney today.
Reacting rapidly to criticism that little was done to help the struggling pace brigade during the disastrous Ashes tour, Cricket Australia indicated that more specialist coaches would be used to help the players.
But several former Test players were astonished that 37-year-old Fitzpatrick, who has played 12 Tests and 96 one-dayers, would be used ahead of highly credentialled male coaches.
"I can't cop that," Terry Alderman said. "There are highly talented fast bowling coaches around the country who can't get jobs yet they get someone like that in."
Fitzpatrick was involved with the Australian team during the three one-dayers in Melbourne last week but sparked a minor controversy when one batsman refused to allow her to throw balls to him during a training session.
Geoff Lawson, who attended every day of the Ashes series but was not asked to help the pacemen despite offering his services to Buchanan, could not fathom Fitzpatrick's involvement with the Test team.
"It is simply bizarre," he said. "It is a symptom of too many peripheral and left-field coaching ideas rather than paying attention to the basics of preparing a cricket team to play a Test match. I don't know if Glenn McGrath or Brett Lee are going to pick up too much out of it, which makes you wonder what is the point of it."
But Dennis Lillee, who coached Fitzpatrick over several years during his time as head of Pace Australia, took a different tack with a tongue-in-cheek observation.
"You never know," he said. "If she paid attention to what I was saying, she might be able to add something of value."
Fitzpatrick, a club coach in Melbourne for eight years, was made a scholarship coach at Cricket Australia's Brisbane-based centre of excellence in April. Her partner, the recently retired Australian women's captain Belinda Clark, was appointed in July to run the new-generation academy.
A Cricket Australia spokesman yesterday said Fitzpatrick had not been brought in as a bowling coach. It is understood that she is not paid.
"She is doing an apprenticeship at the centre of excellence, and is here (in Sydney) assisting John Buchanan as an extra pair of hands in a range of ways, as assistant coaches do," the spokesman said.
Asked if Fitzpatrick was giving advice to any of Australia's bowlers, another spokesman said: "If she was asked, she might, but I've not seen her giving any of the bowlers coaching direction."
IMO, this is disgraceful IF people are objecting on the basis of Fitzpatrick being a woman. Sadly, I don't think any cricket team would be any better. What particularly galls me is this - "Fitzpatrick was involved with the Australian team during the three one-dayers in Melbourne last week but sparked a minor controversy when one batsman refused to allow her to throw balls to him during a training session." - I just don't understand it. Are women unable to throw balls correctly or something??
I don't like Gilly either, but that's got more to do with his inane chatter from behind the stumps and his tendency to enjoy smashing English bowlers around than his actual personality.
