The Wrap - Ah Micky You're So Fine

1. Well, well , well...regular readers would know of the silly games and pettiness which has crept into the Australian team with the appointment of Clarke as a selector (AB medal mortgaged forever thus) and the appointment of Micky Arthur.

What of this: "On 26 January 2010 he resigned because of alleged differences between himself and Cricket South Africa (CSA)". Who would have thought?

And this: "My vision of how to go forward with the team was clear, but the board's was different," said Arthur. "I've always run a tight management and team, but the CSA board of directors want structural changes."

Deja Vu is coming and about to smack him in the back of the head. Micky was an absolute unmitigated failure when coaching Western Australia cricket too.

Seems as though all those who wanted to have a beer post Sydney test with the retiring Michael Hussey are now on notice or have been dropped (Lyon) or barred (Pattinson, Johnson, Watson). Siddle was loyal and he will be next to be chopped. He was a Hussey lover as well.

Also, note the rotation of  coaches - McDermott out (now back), Langer gone, Stuart Law gone, Mick Divenuto gone, Dean Jones gone. Do they all lose interest - or do they know something else? Then they appoint the world's worst PR man - Stuart Macgill. What state is he from?

2. Let's look at it closely. The High Performance Manager, Pat Howard. Ever since his appointment, the high performance has got lower and lower. His pathetic interview today where he bagged out Shane Watson will condemn him. Watson, mind you, needs to start scoring runs and close his excuse making business.

We should all have seen the writing on the wall with the seemingly 'sudden' retirement of Ponting and Hussey. Micky thought they would both be in England by mid 2013. They could see it unfolding.

3. Shane Warne will need another volume of his ailing manifesto. That or a few hundred thousand tweets.

4. I have advocated a change of selection policy in recent years. With the invention of the aeroplane, surely a squad can be evaluated mid tour and changes made. What use has Steve Smith been to date? A mid tour sacking rotation policy could lift performance. Maybe Pat Howard might pinch my idea.

5. Anyone noticed Hooksey's words are coming true: "when you play for New South Wales, you also get a brown paper bad with a baggy green in it". Ask Warner, Watson, Hughes (ex), Cowan (ex), Haddin, Starc. Throw in Steve Smith and Khawaja (ex). What about Hazelwood and Cummins about to return to the fold. Oh, Henriques too. Not bad. Mates club, alienating others and building mistrust (see Lyon, Pattinson, Johnson for a reference on that). Steve O'Keefe must have stolen Michael Clarke's lunch money once upon a time.

6. So Usman was too busy as well? He is the worst of the lot. He should have his first novel completed by now: Throwing It All Away - How To Run between The Wickets.

7. What the hell was Pattinson going to write about team improvement: "bowl like me"?

8. Apparently Johnson was going to get a tattoo of his homework on his arse but had his head stuck there. He has not been able to improve anything in his own game - let alone make observations about the team culture, ethic and spirit. He's still working on an inswinger after twenty years in top flight cricket. He is also very bad with apostrophes, commas and full stops. Send him home.