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Report: Mickey Arthur Fired As Australia Coach
SYDNEY (AP) Cricket Australia has fired national coach Mickey Arthur just two weeks from the start of the Ashes series against England, local media reported Monday.
Fairfax Media reported that South African-born Arthur, who is contracted to coach Australia through the 2015 World Cup, was informed of the decision at the weekend.
In a statement, Cricket Australia said it will hold a news conference in Bristol, England later Monday at which chief executive James Sutherland and high-performance manager Pat Howard "will discuss the coaching structure of the Australian team."
Former test batsman Darren Lehmann, who is in England and has coached Australia A, is favored as Arthur's successor. He has coached Queensland state to victories in Australia's first class and one-day competitions and the Brisbane Heat to win the Big Bash Twenty20 league.
The 43-year-old Lehmann, who played 27 tests and 117 one-day internationals for Australia, has also coached Kings XI Punjab and the now defunct Deccan Chargers in the Indian Premier League.
Queensland Cricket chairman Jim Holding told Australian Broadcasting Corp. he has "heard nothing as yet" from CA regarding Lehmann's coaching future.
Arthur's firing, if it is confirmed, will coincide with the arrival of the Australian team in Taunton for a tour match against Somerset.
The 45-year-old Arthur was appointed as Australia's first foreign-born coach in November, 2011 in the aftermath of its crushing defeat by England in the last Ashes series in Australia. He was then coaching the Western Australia state side and was chosen after a worldwide search to replace Tim Nielsen on a 3-1/2 year contract.
Arthur previously coached South Africa from 2005 to 2010, guiding it to test and one-day series wins in Australia in 2008.
His term as Australia coach has yet to be crowned with any similar success and Australia remains fourth on the world test rankings entering the Ashes series. Australia has won 10 of 19 tests under his leadership losing six and drawing three but their most recent form has been poor.
It lost 4-0 to India in India in its latest test series and failed to win a match at the Champions Trophy one-day tournament which has just concluded in England.
During the India tour, Arthur polarized public opinion when he dropped four players, including vice-captain Shane Watson, from his team for the third test for failing to complete written reports on their views of the team's performance.
In what became known as "homeworkgate", Arthur was supported by captain Michael Clarke and by Cricket Australia but criticized by leading former players for what they saw as an over-reaction to a trivial offense.
Sutherland said at the time that he was "supportive of the decisions that were made."
Arthur might also have been held partly responsible for an off-field incident involving opening batsman David Warner during the Champions Trophy. Warner was reportedly drunk when he aimed a punch at England allrounder James Root at a nightclub in Birmingham, after Australia's 43-run loss to England in a Champions Trophy match.
Warner has been suspended until the first test of the Ashes series, but Sutherland expressed regret at the ineffectual manner in which the incident was first dealt with by team management.
Australian media said the handling of the Warner incident was the last straw for Sutherland and Cricket Australia who felt the South African was not strong enough in imposing team discipline.
Fairfax Media said "Sutherland was not only furious at Warner's actions but also at the delay it took for him to be informed of the incident back in Melbourne.
SYDNEY (AP) Cricket Australia has fired national coach Mickey Arthur just two weeks from the start of the Ashes series against England, local media reported Monday.
Fairfax Media reported that South African-born Arthur, who is contracted to coach Australia through the 2015 World Cup, was informed of the decision at the weekend.
In a statement, Cricket Australia said it will hold a news conference in Bristol, England later Monday at which chief executive James Sutherland and high-performance manager Pat Howard "will discuss the coaching structure of the Australian team."
Former test batsman Darren Lehmann, who is in England and has coached Australia A, is favored as Arthur's successor. He has coached Queensland state to victories in Australia's first class and one-day competitions and the Brisbane Heat to win the Big Bash Twenty20 league.
The 43-year-old Lehmann, who played 27 tests and 117 one-day internationals for Australia, has also coached Kings XI Punjab and the now defunct Deccan Chargers in the Indian Premier League.
Queensland Cricket chairman Jim Holding told Australian Broadcasting Corp. he has "heard nothing as yet" from CA regarding Lehmann's coaching future.
Arthur's firing, if it is confirmed, will coincide with the arrival of the Australian team in Taunton for a tour match against Somerset.
The 45-year-old Arthur was appointed as Australia's first foreign-born coach in November, 2011 in the aftermath of its crushing defeat by England in the last Ashes series in Australia. He was then coaching the Western Australia state side and was chosen after a worldwide search to replace Tim Nielsen on a 3-1/2 year contract.
Arthur previously coached South Africa from 2005 to 2010, guiding it to test and one-day series wins in Australia in 2008.
His term as Australia coach has yet to be crowned with any similar success and Australia remains fourth on the world test rankings entering the Ashes series. Australia has won 10 of 19 tests under his leadership losing six and drawing three but their most recent form has been poor.
It lost 4-0 to India in India in its latest test series and failed to win a match at the Champions Trophy one-day tournament which has just concluded in England.
During the India tour, Arthur polarized public opinion when he dropped four players, including vice-captain Shane Watson, from his team for the third test for failing to complete written reports on their views of the team's performance.
In what became known as "homeworkgate", Arthur was supported by captain Michael Clarke and by Cricket Australia but criticized by leading former players for what they saw as an over-reaction to a trivial offense.
Sutherland said at the time that he was "supportive of the decisions that were made."
Arthur might also have been held partly responsible for an off-field incident involving opening batsman David Warner during the Champions Trophy. Warner was reportedly drunk when he aimed a punch at England allrounder James Root at a nightclub in Birmingham, after Australia's 43-run loss to England in a Champions Trophy match.
Warner has been suspended until the first test of the Ashes series, but Sutherland expressed regret at the ineffectual manner in which the incident was first dealt with by team management.
Australian media said the handling of the Warner incident was the last straw for Sutherland and Cricket Australia who felt the South African was not strong enough in imposing team discipline.
Fairfax Media said "Sutherland was not only furious at Warner's actions but also at the delay it took for him to be informed of the incident back in Melbourne.
