Australia captain Pat Cummins (left) vehemently defends his teammates' right to self-expression. Photo: Getty Images/Alex Davidson
The Ashes have always represented a cultural clash on the pitch, but off the pitch a culture war has been raging for more than a year between different generations of Australian cricketers. This battle extends to the current number of players and to most of their own cricketing public.
The accusation is that Australian players are too soft, too effete, too strong and, perhaps, most importantly, too “woke up”.
The reasons for these accusations are many and varied; the friendlier way of playing on the pitch after the cultural earthquake that turned the goal into sandpaper, the vocal positions of individual players on issues such as climate change and animal rights, and the manner and timing of Justin Langer's departure as manager last year.
It was this last moment that annoyed the former players the most. Langer left in February 2022 when he was offered a contract extension of just six months as a reward for winning the T20 and Ashes World Cup within weeks.
Langer, an extremely successful player and coach, had many influential friends who were offended. He's also from Western Australia, the narrowest of the six states, where fans couldn't believe he was removed.
Justin's departure Langer as head coach caused a split in Australian cricket. Photo: Action Images/Paul Childs
“It seems like a very strange time for a coach to leave,” said Ricky Ponting. “To read on coffee grounds, it seems that some – and, as he told me, a small group in the game group and a couple of other employees in the team – did not quite like the way he did it.
“ It was enough to dislodge a man who has put his life, heart and soul into Australian cricket and has done a sensational job of changing the culture and attitude of the Australian cricket team over the last three or four years. In fact I think it's a very sad day for Australian cricket.”
A meeting in a Hobart bar plotted Langer's downfall.
When Ponting mentioned the small group of players and coaches, he might just have been referring to those who gathered at Hobart's The Den Bar a few days before the final Ashes test last January.
Pat Cummins was there with David Warner and Langer's assistants, Andrew McDonald and Michael Di Venuto, and other members of the support staff.
Apparently tired of four years of his famous thorough methods, they openly discussed trainers with a lighter approach, than Langer, including former England manager Trevor Bayliss.
Within a month, Langer left, and Cricket Australia seemed to be dancing to the tune of the players; a classic example of player power. Ponting was not alone in his remarks. Mitchell Johnson, a generational player, called Cummins “weak-willed”.
Matthew Hayden nearly burst into tears as he discussed his old buddy Langer, saying “the whole thing just reeks of organization.” In the weeks that followed, Langer called the players “cowards” and his manager James Henderson dealt a blow to the “faceless few” who forced him out.
Eloquent and thick-skinned, Cummins was moved to comment, issuing a lengthy statement that ended : “To all former players, I want to say this: just as you always stood up for your comrades, I stood up for me.”
In the early days of a successful captaincy, Cummins became a lightning rod for criticism, and not just because of his alleged role in firing Langer. He has campaigned extensively against climate change, launched the Cricket For Climate campaign and supported the world's first seaweed hoodie that is 100% compostable and costs a whopping $500 (£267).
This is the world's first seaweed hoodie that is 100% compostable.
If we can sell at least 2,000 of these sweatshirts, we can raise enough money to help scientists restore underwater algae forests all along the coast of Sydney 🌊 🏄♂️
Buy now here: https://t.co/gZocKNXlfj pic. twitter.com/yw7CS7n93y
— Pat Cummins (@patcummins30), December 13, 2022
Perhaps most notably, Cummins declined to appear in promotional materials for CA partner Alinta Energy, a natural gas and electricity company. CA soon announced that their four-year partnership with former Australian jersey sponsor Alinta was ending “due to a change in brand strategy.”
Last year, Australia was on its knees for the first time
Cummins said so. year: “I don't do anything to please absolutely everyone.” However, the Australian captain's decision to fly from Adelaide to Melbourne in a CA-sponsored private jet after being excluded from testing at Ashes 2021 raised eyebrows given his stance on these issues.
There were other social positions that all fans didn't like. Usman Khawaja was among the players who suggested that California stop hosting cricket on January 26, Australia Day, due to the fact that it could harm the Indigenous Australian community.
Australia was on its knees for the first time before last year's Trials in Perth, which caused the inevitable criticism in social networks. Some have wondered if the poor crowd at this test, the first in Langer's hometown since the pandemic, was a coincidence given the apparent gap between players and the public.
This group of players does not necessarily fit the stereotypes associated with Australian cricketers. Travis Head has a thick moustache, but it's unlikely that any of them had anything to do with David Boone's epic 52-bank trip to England in 1989.
A few Australian cricketers, though more from the Ball Team than the Test are vegan. Steve Smith founded an oat milk brand called OMG (Oat Milk Goodness).
Steve Smith launched his startup Oat Milk Goodness in 2021.
The impression is that they are soft, and the reaction to a loss is especially sharply weakened. After an outstanding test loss in Delhi earlier this year, a brutal article in Rupert Murdoch's Australian Bulletin said: “Politics seems to have infiltrated management, leaving fans wondering if they're witnessing a 'go wake up' version.” go broke.”
Former captain Allan Border, one of the roughest and toughest Australians, said: “I would have played with a tougher lead. We play a certain style of cricket. Hard but fair cricket… Kiwis are the ones who play the good games.”
Border criticized Smith for giving a thumbs up to an Indian bowler after beating him in the street.
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New CA Chairman Mike Baird, an investment banker and former centre-right politician, stood up for the players.
“To me, these players have every right to be themselves. It's about winning and being yourself, I guess that's all,” he told SEN this year.
“There is nothing wrong with [athletes finding their voice]. It's right. They [young people] are reaching out to leaders, not particularly political leaders, but sports leaders. And if a sports leader is passionate about and wants to express himself, then let him be.
As with England, Ashes is the leader of the Australian series. If they win this summer, the noise will die down. If they don't, we know exactly who will be charged.
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