Even bad Test losses never pushed Mark Taylor to dark places, but Cricket Australia’s recent crises has
IT is a stinging indictment on the parlous, pathetic state of Australian cricket that Mark Taylor leaves his post more browbeaten than he ever did during his time as Test captain, writes ROBERT CRADDOCK.
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- ‘It’s taken a toll on me’: Taylor quits CA board
- Peever quits, final tampering link in crosshairs
- Cricket boss’s bizarre attempt to soothe tensions
AS a Test leader Mark Taylor was the captain they never cracked — but cricket politics destroys the best of them.
Taylor’s measured, sunny demeanour never changed during a torturous 17-month form slump when he was leading the national side around the 1997 Ashes tour.
Even bad Test losses never pushed him into dark places.
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Once in India after a horror loss he took his side to the bar where they were joined by some Indian players including the great Rahul Dravid.
“Taylor is incredible,’’ Dravid said as he left the group.
“You would not know whether he has won or lost. He’s in there telling jokes. Incredible.’’
Cricket could never exhaust Taylor’s amiable spirit — but the angry world of Australian cricket politics got him in the end.
It’s a stinging indictment on the parlous, pathetic state of the Australian cricket that he leaves the CA Board looking more browbeaten than he ever did after any of the 13 losses he suffered as Test captain.
Taylor was typically four-square and logical at his farewell press conference but the cracks were there.
Occasionally his voice wavered and he even admitted to losing sleep at night, a concession he never made as a captain.
In no way is Taylor’s departure from the CA board a victory for anybody — the Board, the public or even the players union with which he was reportedly disenchanted with.
He was CA’s highest profile Board member and the very mention of his name brought credibility.
He will be a hard man to replace but CA should now look at a distinguished former player like Adam Gilchrist or Simon Katich.
As for the chairman’s role vacated by David Peever, the new man must come from outside a board tainted by recent failures.
Two of Australia’s best cricket journalists, Robert Craddock and Peter Lalor join the Cricket Unfiltered podcast to discuss the recent culture review findings and the upcoming ODI series against South Africa. Listen now!
In some ways Taylor is to blame for the awkward world which pulled him in different directions and ultimately pulled him apart.
By agreeing to be both a CA board member and a commentator for Channel 9 he wore two hats which comfortably coexisted in the good times but sat on his head like a crown of thorns when the pressure was on.
Recently on Channel 9 when he said “the media’’ would have a field day with the cultural review soon to be released to the public, observers felt like saying “hang on … you are the media.’’
Taylor’s departure continues the stunning list of exits triggered by the ball tampering scandal with Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft banned, coach Darren Lehmann and CA chairman David Peever resigning and high performance boss Pat Howard to leave next year.
No single cricketing event has triggered such change since Mitchell Johnson took 37 wickets in the 2013-14 Ashes and it was later estimated more than 20 English players and officials had their careers truncated by the fallout.
But that was a legitimate on-field assault.
This was the result of grubby cricket politics — and there is still more to come.
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Originally published as Even bad Test losses never pushed Mark Taylor to dark places, but Cricket Australia’s recent crises has
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