There is nothing quite like an ex cricketer : Part II

Yesterday’s blog on the jaw-dropping statements coming out of the mouths of a couple of former New Zealand cricket coaches seemed to touch a nerve.  However, a quick flick through the bookshelf and a few minutes using Google emphasised just how risible their comments were.

Here are some Glenn Turner quotes (from various sources) about Chris Cairns, from about the time they arrived in India in 1995.  And yes, this is the same Glenn Turner who says players should be able to do what they want off the field, as long as they perform on it…

From Mad As I Wanna Be – Danny Morrison:

“But Glenn didn’t agree and singled out the guys he thought had overdone the partying and decided to punish them with an extra training session in the afternoon.  It was bad enough to split the camp like that, but Cairnsy’s hamstring was also giving him trouble and so he simply refused to be pulled into this extra training carry-on.  So Turner hauled Cairns to his room for a meeting with the management committee – Turner, Gren Alabaster and, I think, Lee Germon, our captain.  We heard yelling, doors slamming and a player storming out. It didn’t sound like there was much management going on.”

Lifting the Covers – Glenn Turner:

“Chris was quick to speak, often thoughtless, and believed fervently that individuals have the right to do what they please.  On occasion he was rude and obnoxious and would push everything to the limit. He overreacted to any form of comment or advice, was apt to take it as adverse criticism.  He dressed in a rough and ready fashion, was poorly organised and needed constant monitoring.  He preferred to see me as the problem when in reality the problem was with himself and the team’s code of conduct.”

“Writing to Doig I said I realised management would always be required to accommodate and control some awkward personalities, but we had a more serious case here.  For Chris to face up to the stresses and strains of international cricket was like asking an alcoholic to work in a hotel.  I said Chris needed to be helped ‘for our sake, and more importantly, for his’.  I said a team can’t be run properly, and it’s unfair to the others if you keep giving one or two players special treatment.”

“As management we’d talked and talked over an extended period and couldn’t see any point in talking to him yet again. He was better off out of it, for his sake and ours.”

It is pretty hard to interpret that as “Live and let live” as described to Mark Reason.

And here’s John “Jesse-would-be-first-picked-in-my-team” Wright in March, 2012…

“We need cricketers who are responsible, accountable and professional,” Wright said. “If you don’t get that, you’re not going to progress as team and not get support from the public, which is important to us. You’re representing cricket fans throughout New Zealand and there’s a lot of responsibility that comes with that, on and off the field.

“He’s talented cricketer and it’s up to him. Everyone has the opportunity to play if they perform and are fit and abide by some of the rules that go with being in a team.

“The door is open as far as I am concerned for any player but there are certain standards you need to reach performance-wise, fitness-wise and behaviour-wise in the team. We don’t want be a team that has this happening”.

You can only guess at what there men’s agenda may be, but they really have just made themselves look very silly.