2002-03 Annual R eport 2002-03 Annual R eport - Australian Sports ...

When implementing From Backyard to Baggy Green, Cricket Australia aims to:
• continue to excel on the field;
• maintain Australians’ pride in their teams’ performances;
• drive commercial returns;
• generate and drive interest in the game; and
• provide an inspirational goal for all cricketers.
In 2002-03, Cricket Australia undertook significant work geared towards its teams thriving at the elite
level.
Australian team management
One of the platform strategies for Australia to continue its dominance of world cricket is to establish
an environment that ensures its players are given every opportunity to perform at their best.
As such, Cricket Australia, primarily through its Cricket Operations and Game Development
departments, invests heavily in a support structure for its elite teams.
Throughout 2002-03, the Australian men’s Test and one-day international teams were supported on the
road by a team manager, coach, assistant coach / performance analyst, physiotherapist, physical
performance manager, massage therapist, as well as a variety of consultants including specialist
coaches.
Team management played a key role in helping Australia claim:
• the 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup;
• the 2002-03 Orange Test series against England;
• the 2002-03 VB Series;
• the 2002-03 Test and one-day series against the West Indies; and
• the 2002-03 Travelex Test series against Pakistan.
Media management is also provided to the team to help deal with ever-increasing levels of media
attention.
From an Australian team perspective, dealing with intense media interest requires a well-developed
and effective system to balance the essential access to players required by the media, with the
importance of allowing the team time and space to prepare for and recover from each game.
All other national teams including Australia A, the Australian women’s team, the Commonwealth Bank
Southern Stars, and under-age squads are also provided with appropriate support structures.
In 2002-03 the Australian team’s busy schedule saw players in the Test and one-day international
teams away from home for more than 230 days of the year.
Cricket Australia is conscious of this heavy workload and supports the principle of players’ partners
and families travelling with the team both at home and overseas.
Australian Cricketers’ Association
Cricket Australia is mindful of the importance of consultation with the ACA on important issues to
ensure the views of its membership are taken into account.
An example of this collaborative approach took place in August 2002, when Cricket Australia and the
ACA worked together to overcome concerns stemming from the ICC’s player contracts for the ICC
Champions Trophy tournament in Sri Lanka.
Thorough consultation ensured a standard set of guidelines was created to clarify the contractual
obligations of the ICC, Cricket Australia and ACA members, including the introduction of an approval
and disputes resolution process to ensure the ICC’s use of player images was appropriate and did not
constitute a player endorsement.
Following the process, the ICC offered the same guidelines to all full-member nations.
Pre-tour inspections
In ensuring that the Australian Test and one-day international teams are provided with an environment
conducive to elite performance, Cricket Australia undertakes comprehensive pre-tour inspections prior
to any overseas series.
These inspections ensure that each venue the Australian team visits passes a detailed checklist,
ranging from playing and training facilities to team travel and accommodation arrangements.
In a climate of increasing world security tension, the safety of the Australian players and team
management is Cricket Australia’s highest priority. As such, when carrying out these inspections,
Cricket Australia includes a thorough review of proposed security arrangements for the Australian
team.
These security assessment procedures were tested in 2002 when Cricket Australia was forced to
abandon the Australian team’s scheduled tour of Pakistan due to an unacceptable risk to national
players and team management.
15
Opposite page. Following a
spectacular diving catch,
Damien Martyn celebrates the
wicket of India’s Dinesh Mongia
in the final of the ICC Cricket
World Cup in South Africa.
Top. Planning ahead. Australian
coach John Buchanan (right)
discusses tactics with his
assistant, Tim Nielsen, during
Australia’s World Cup campaign.
Middle. Australian Team
Physiotherapist Errol Alcott
attends to Adam Gilchrist during
a VB Series match.
Bottom. Damien Martyn (right)
keeps in check with Physical
Performance Manager, Jock
Campbell, in Port Elizabeth,
South Africa.