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

ELITE-LEVEL SUCCESS
Top. National selectors Allan
Border (left), Trevor Hohns and
Andrew Hilditch (far right) with
Australian Team
Physiotherapist, Errol Alcott,
prior to the second Orange Test
in Adelaide.
Middle. Simon Taufel was
rewarded for his decisionmaking
skills when he was
appointed to the ICC’s Elite
Panel of umpires.
Bottom. History in the making.
A drop-in wicket was installed
at Darwin’s Marrara Oval as it
prepared to become an
international venue.
In the lead-up to the decision, Cricket Australia received daily briefings from a range of advisers,
including the High Commissioner in Pakistan and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
The advice was combined with assessments from Cricket Australia’s own independent security
experts, allowing Cricket Australia to make an informed decision about the tour.
Understanding Cricket Australia’s concerns, the Pakistan Cricket Board staged the tour in the neutral
venues of Kenya, Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates.
A similar process was undertaken in the lead-up to Australia’s World Cup fixture against Zimbabwe in
Bulawayo.
Selection
Key to the ability to foster the ongoing success of Australian teams is the work of the National
Selection Panel (NSP) that is charged with the responsibility of selecting all national men’s sides at
home and overseas.
Led by Trevor Hohns (Chairman), the panel consists of former Australian players David Boon, Allan
Border and Andrew Hilditch.
Team performances in 2002-03 suggest the NSP again performed its task with great effect.
Much of the on-field success achieved by Australian cricket over the past year, including the ICC
Cricket World Cup in Southern Africa, can be credited to the work of the NSP, which began preparing a
squad for the tournament following the 1999 World Cup.
The selection panel for the Commonwealth Bank Southern Stars, comprising Margaret Jennings
(Chairperson), Peter Bakker and Wendy Weir, contributed to the team’s fine year that resulted in both
Test and one-day international success.
Developing world-class umpires
A nation’s cricketing strength can be assessed in the performances of its top-level players and
umpires.
In 2002-03 Cricket Australia’s umpiring unit achieved significant success, highlighted by the
appointment of Darrell Hair and Simon Taufel to the ICC’s Elite Panel of Umpires.
Hair and Taufel joined Daryl Harper as Australia’s ICC Elite Panel representatives and are now
regularly appointed to officiate in Test matches and one-day internationals around the world.
Harper’s year saw him gain selection for the World Cup semi-final between India and Kenya, the most
significant fixture that he could officiate in at the tournament, given he was ineligible to umpire all
Australian matches, including the World Cup final.
Members of last year’s Cricket Australia National Panel, Peter Parker and Steve Davis, were also
promoted, being appointed to the ICC’s International Panel.
In this role, the pair can officiate in one-day internationals around the world and provide cover for the
ICC Elite Panel at peak times in the international calendar.
The year also saw Cricket Australia commence an initiative to attract former first-class players to
umpiring.
In July 2002 former Australian Test player Paul Reiffel and one-time Tasmanian vice-captain Rod
Tucker were appointed to a Cricket Australia Project Panel, an initiative that saw the pair officiate in
Cricket Australia Cup and grade-level matches throughout the summer.
Reiffel and Tucker join Bruce Oxenford as the Cricket Australia-contracted umpires with first-class
cricket experience. Oxenford, who is on Cricket Australia’s Supplementary Panel, played eight firstclass
games for Queensland in the early 1990s.
The Cricket Australia Project Panel was added to a structure that includes a six-man National Panel, a
Supplementary Panel of the same number and a 12-man Development Panel. The total of 26 Cricket
Australia-contracted umpires is up 18 from last year.
The larger group of umpires and an enhanced support structure is designed to allow Cricket Australia
to develop more officials capable of adjudicating at the highest level.
Programming
Under the direction of From Backyard to Baggy Green, Cricket Australia is encouraged to, where
possible, be innovative and pursue programming changes that have the potential to enhance Australian
cricket.
In 2002-03, Cricket Australia was confronted with a number of challenges in planning the international
and domestic program.
With the Australian team required to depart for South Africa on 29 January 2003 for the World Cup, the
Australian season had to be condensed.
This included a shift away from the traditional ‘blocked’ program of five Test matches, followed by a
series of one-day internationals.
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