da esoccer bet： Shane Watson, the Australia vice-captain, has criticised Cricket Australia and selectors for contributing to a “growing sense of panic” among the players in the lead-up to the Ashes series in 2010-11
ESPNcricinfo staff24-Sep-2011
Shane Watson has criticised Cricket Australia in his new book•Getty Images
Shane Watson, the Australia vice-captain, has criticised Cricket Australia and the selectors for contributing to a “growing sense of panic” among the players in the lead-up to the Ashes series in 2010-11. Australia were comprehensively beaten 3-1 in the Ashes, their first series defeat to England at home since 1986-87, prompting the Argus review and the subsequent changes adopted by board.Watson lashed out at the decision to announce a provisional squad of 17, 10 days before the first Ashes Test in Brisbane. ”I felt there was a growing sense of panic all over the place which, to be honest, wasn’t helped by Cricket Australia announcing a bigger than usual Ashes squad,” Watson wrote in his book , as quoted by the . “I don’t know why the squad was named that early; there was still one more round of first-class games as well as the Australia A game against England to be completed … there was a sense of panic … and that spread throughout the team.”The chopping and changing of bowlers during the Test series meant “they were absolutely sh*****g themselves every time they went out to bowl, because bowlers are the first ones to get dropped when things go wrong.”Our batters … were failing throughout and nothing happened.”Since the Ashes defeat, Australian cricket has undergone significant changes, with coach Tim Nielsen and chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch stepping down.