Arthur excited about Australia's future

Adrian Crawford

Updated January 07, 2013 09:19:56

For a coach who has just watched two of the genuine legends of the game call time on their respective Test careers - from his team, no less - Mickey Arthur is in surprisingly high spirits.

Sunday afternoon marked the end of another era in Australian cricket when Michael Hussey bowed out of the international arena on top as his side beat Sri Lanka in under four days at the SCG to record a 3-0 series sweep.

Hussey was in the middle as the home side reached its target of 141 with five wickets to spare, although Mitchell Johnson 'spoiled' the fairytale by hitting the winning run himself.

The departure of the 37-year-old Hussey, combined with the retirement earlier this summer of former skipper Ricky Ponting, leaves a dearth of Test experience in the Australian order, but Arthur is not particularly fazed.

"I think we are [finding the future]," he told Grandstand after the close of play.

"You lose Ricky, you lose Mike, you lose such a massive amount of experience.

"We've got to coax and coach the young boys to take up that mantle.

"Hopefully we find some talent, hopefully the younger boys stand up. I thought they stood up this game and I'm excited for the future."

Two one-day international series against Sri Lanka and West Indies loom in the next five weeks as well as Twenty20 internationals against both nations (two against Sri Lanka, one against West Indies).

Arthur expects more of the aforementioned "younger boys" to stake their claims in the limited-overs arenas for a chance to wear the Baggy Green in India and England this year.

"I think we have, there's a massive opportunity," he said.

"My message for the one-day squad when we get together on Tuesday is there's just a massive amount of opportunities for you.

"It's very exciting. Australian cricket's very exciting at the moment.

"Who's going to stand up? Because if you stand up there might be some places available for you.

"To be a young player in Australia now is a really exciting time."

One of those youngsters is rookie paceman Jackson Bird, who bagged match figures of 7 for 117 in just his second Test and was named man-of-the-match in Sydney.

He was not selected in the squad for the first two one-day internationals against Sri Lanka but, given Cricket Australia's new resting policy, he may well feature in the rest of the five-match series.

"It's been a good start so far," said Bird, who has 11 wickets at 16.18 from his two Tests.

"There's a lot of hard work to do in the next couple of months.

"If selected there's a couple of tough tours coming up and there's a lot of Test cricket.

"So I've just got to concentrate on what I can in the next couple of weeks and see what happens from there."

Tags: cricket, sport, sydney-2000, australia

First posted January 07, 2013 09:09:45

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Coach Arthur dismisses Lyon critics

Updated December 26, 2012 02:10:02

Australian Test off-spinner Nathan Lyon said on Monday he could not care less about accusations he bowls too fast.

Lyon attracted more criticism following his 0 for 57 in Sri Lanka's second innings in last week's first Test against Sri Lanka in Hobart.

"I'm definitely not afraid of tossing it up and seeing if they want to take me on and really explore and get in that contest and try and get some wickets," he said.

"I'm not really fazed about what people are coming out and saying.

"We're out there in the middle. We know what pace we have to bowl on that pitch.

"It's easy sitting at home. I'm communicating with Pup (Michael Clarke) and Wadey (wicketkeeper Matthew Wade) every over about my pace."

Former Test leg-spinner Stuart MacGill said not only was Lyon rushing through his overs too quickly but he was bowling too fast.

"People are going to have their own opinion but I'm really confident in my own skill set," 25-year-old Lyon said.

"I have the full confidence of (coach and selector) Mickey Arthur and (captain and selector) Michael Clarke.

"Whatever people are saying outside the Australian cricket room doesn't really affect me.

"I'm learning every time I go out to bowl," the 17-Test player added.

"There have been a couple of day-five pitches but in Adelaide South Africa batted fantastic and in Hobart we got the result (with pacemen Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc and Shane Watson sharing the 10 wickets between them).

"There are a lot of expectations on the spinner but I'm not worried about that.

"I'm worried about doing the right thing for the team and working well with Pup and all the other bowlers."

Arthur took a swipe on Monday at Lyon's critics.

"I've read a lot about Nathan Lyon over the last couple of weeks. He's still the quickest off-spinner to 50 wickets," Arthur said.

"He's young. He's still finding out about his bowling.

"He has immense potential though. Spinners only reach their peak at 28 or 29.

"Nathan's doing everything right."

Lyon said the Australians had backed their quicks to do the damage on a Hobart pitch that offered variable bounce.

"Hopefully here or even the SCG might be a bit more friendly to spin bowling," he said.

"It comes down to the different conditions and the different roles you have to play."

AAP

Tags: sport, cricket, melbourne-3000, vic, australia

First posted December 24, 2012 19:21:18

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Arthur tells bowlers to sharpen up

Updated September 24, 2012 17:17:13

Coach Mickey Arthur says Australia's bowlers must learn a lesson, believing they panicked in a sloppy World Twenty20 performance against West Indies.

Captain George Bailey's team have moved into the Super Eights stage where the Australians face heavyweights India and South Africa.

But Arthur was unhappy about the way some Australian bowlers strayed from the game plan and warned they must improve after copping stick from the Windies in their final group game.

Australia faced the task of making the fifth-highest successful run chase in T20 International history after the Chris Gayle-inspired Windies belted 8 for 191.

But rain intervened and they won by 17 runs on the Duckworth/Lewis Method after scoring 1 for 100 from 9.1 overs.

Offspinner Glenn Maxwell conceded 17 runs from his only over as Gayle blasted his way to 54 off 33 balls.

Pace bowlers Shane Watson (2-29) and Mitchell Starc (3-35) were Australia's leading wicket-takers but Arthur didn't spare Starc or fellow young speedster Pat Cummins (1-41 off four overs) in a damning critique of the team's bowling efforts.

"I was really disappointed the way we executed with the ball," said Arthur.

"We were just a little bit sloppy and that annoyed me a little bit."

Arthur said he didn't mind a bowler trying to bowl a particular type of yorker and narrowly missing the mark and getting hit for six.

"I've got problems when we're hit both sides of the wicket and I know what plans I want to execute against Chris Gayle," Arthur said.

"When we get it completely wrong, then I really get annoyed.

"Short and wide, back of a length. He just stood (in the fifth over, the second bowled by Cummins) and took 18 runs.

"I don't mind if they bowl a wide with a bouncer, particularly with a guy like Gayle, just to let the batter know. Then you've got to get it head high.

"We wanted to try and cramp Gayle up a little bit, which we did to a certain degree.

"Once he started going, I thought we panicked just a fraction.

"But saying that, we've got Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins, young bowlers who can only have benefited from (Saturday night's) experiences.

"I'm not massively disappointed but we need to take from that and learn."

Arthur gave his squad a two-day break before training resumes on Tuesday for Friday night's opening Super Eights clash with the strong Indian battling line-up.

AAP

Tags: sport, cricket, sri-lanka, australia, jamaica

First posted September 24, 2012 17:17:13

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Arthur urges Aussies to attack Narine

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Arthur urges Aussies to attack Narine

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Johnson may have to wait: Arthur

Updated May 15, 2012 20:18:11

Australian coach Mickey Arthur says Pat Cummins is an exciting young talent and experienced paceman Mitchell Johnson might have to wait his turn to regain his place in the side.

Cummins and 30-year-old Johnson broke down with foot injuries during Australia's Test tour of South Africa in November and have been recalled to the national squad for the one-day tour of Ireland and England in June-July.

The inconsistent Johnson is a former ICC player of the year, but Cummins is the team's real excitement machine according to Arthur.

Cummins took seven wickets in his Test debut in Johannesburg as an 18-year-old in November.

"The player I am most excited about though is Pat Cummins," Arthur told Cricket Australia's website on Tuesday.

"We all saw what he could do in his one-and-only Test match and to have him back in the mix is fantastic.

"He has the ability to become one of the best in the world. He and 'Patto' (fellow quick James Pattinson) will take a huge amount out of this tour.

"We hope they both will be firing this time next year when we go to England to claim the Ashes back and drawing on the experience of touring the UK before will certainly give them an edge.

"Mitchell Johnson returns as well and we can't wait to have him back around the group.

"He may have to wait his turn, though, as we are taking such a talented group of bowlers on the tour with us."

Young leg-spinning all-rounder Steve Smith has also been recalled to the one-day side.

"He is a talented cricketer who has the ability to do all three disciplines well. He will get an opportunity on this tour and let's hope that he grasps it with both hands," Arthur said.

Arthur has given another vote of confidence to ex-skipper Ricky Ponting, saying a stable batting line-up is crucial.

The 37-year-old averaged only 24.33 on the recent West Indies Test tour.

Openers Ed Cowan and David Warner also averaged under 30 against Test cricket's seventh-ranked side.

"I am very happy with where our Test team is headed," Arthur said.

"Continuity in selection and role clarity is so important in creating team culture and I know that all players now know where and how they fit in.

"We have a settled top six now and, together, this unit has played seven Test matches.

"Yes, we would have liked more runs from all of them but conditions were tough and I think we saw enough growth in technique and temperament to be excited."

Third-ranked Australia hosts second-ranked South Africa in a Test series in November.

AAP

Tags: cricket, sport, australia

First posted May 15, 2012 20:15:55

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Arthur backs Ponting for one more Ashes

Updated May 01, 2012 16:28:09

Australian coach Mickey Arthur says Ricky Ponting is a wanted man for next year's Ashes series in England.

With Australia not playing another Test until the home series against South Africa in November/December, Ponting's future in the side was thought to be in some doubt.

The 37-year-old was axed from Australia's one-day squad earlier this year, leaving him with just Test cricket on his international calendar.

But Arthur says he has no concerns about Ponting losing his touch with the bat, and is backing the former skipper to play a key role in Australia's quest to regain the Ashes.

"I know there was a lot of media pressure and talk around Ricky, but Ricky's not going anywhere," Arthur said after arriving back in Perth following Australia's 2-0 Test series win against the West Indies.

"We hope Ricky's scoring enough runs to go to the Ashes in England.

"Ricky is definitely [in] no way considering retiring, I wouldn't have thought from my conversations with him, and he'll be fit and ready to go against South Africa."

Ponting, like most of Australia's batting line-up, struggled on the Windies tour.

The 165-Test veteran posted just 146 runs over three Tests at an average of 24.33, but Arthur said the tough conditions and some unlucky circumstances played a significant role in Ponting's lean return.

AAP

Tags: ashes, cricket, sport, australia

First posted May 01, 2012 16:28:09

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Arthur wants improvement from Aussies

Updated March 22, 2012 16:31:06

Australia coach Mickey Arthur has warned that his team must improve if it wants to win the one-day series against the West Indies.

The two teams played out a thrilling tie in the third one-dayer in St Vincent to leave the series level at 1-1 going into Friday night's (AEDT) fourth match in the nearby island of St Lucia.

Defending 220, Australia reduced the West Indies to 6 for 117 in its chase before the hosts recovered to need just one run to win off the final three deliveries.

A horrible mix-up between Darren Sammy and tail-ender Kemar Roach gifted Australia a run-out and a tie and left both teams feeling they should have won the match.

Arthur said it was time for the team to learn the importance of closing out a game when it was on top after Australia collapsed to lose 6 for 18 with the bat, then nearly allowed the Windies to snatch victory after looking down and out in their run chase.

"We haven't played anywhere near the perfect game yet," Arthur said.

"We've made some bad mistakes in every game. We probably haven't done the basics well enough and we haven't done the one per centers well enough.

"We're sitting here at 1-1. We're playing against a West Indies team that has never gone away, never rolled away.

"They seem to have a lot of spirit and they're really up for the fight but we've certainly missed opportunities to be 2-1 ahead."

Australia travels to St Lucia on Wednesday and will have its first look at the Beausejour Stadium - the venue for games four and five - today.

The West Indies is yet to name its squad for the final two games, although Chris Gayle is set to be excluded again after his meeting with board officials failed to resolve the dispute which has left the big-hitting opener out of international cricket since last year's World Cup.

AAP

Tags: onedayseries, cricket, sport, saint-lucia, australia

First posted March 22, 2012 16:31:06

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Warner a future Test captain: Arthur

Updated January 16, 2012 19:02:51

Australia's two-match series of Twenty20 matches against India next month could be the start of David Warner's ascent to the Test captaincy.

The 25-year-old has blasted two centuries in his five-Test career including his breathtaking 180 off 159 deliveries in last week's third Test against India in Perth.

While the stocky opener is one of Twenty20's shining lights and has also emerged as a Test player of note, Australia's current 20-over skipper Cameron White may struggle to hold his place in the side for the games at Sydney's Olympic park on February 1 and at the MCG two days later.

White has a top score of 5 not out from six innings for the Melbourne Stars in this summer's Big Bash League.

Warner, in between Test commitments, smashed an unbeaten 102 for the Sydney Thunder in their clash with the Melbourne Stars at the MCG as the powerful left-hander showcased his big-hitting talents.

National coach Mickey Arthur is enormously impressed with Thunder captain Warner's leadership skills and thirst for hard work on the training track.

"Davey has leadership potential. He has the ability to lead any Australian team in any form of the game at some stage," Arthur said after Australia's victory in Perth on Sunday.

"Whether that's in the next couple of weeks or whether that's in a year or five years time I'm not sure.

"He has a very good cricket brain. He leads a lot by example.

"He trains the house down.

"The perceptions that everybody had of David Warner and the reality of David Warner the person are poles apart."

Warner, the working-class Sydney boy from a public-housing estate, was banned for one month from Cricket Australia's Centre of Excellence in Brisbane in 2007.

The then 20-year-old had tested the patience of his employers with "repeated inappropriate treatment" of facilities which apparently included food fights with Mark Cosgrove and Aaron Finch, who were also suspended.

Arthur said he takes no credit for Warner's stunning innings in Perth, despite some intensive work in the nets on the opener's technique with batting coach Justin Langer.

"He's the guy who actually asked for more and more (work)," Arthur said.

AAP

Tags: sport, cricket, australia

First posted January 16, 2012 17:45:37

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Arthur backs Aussie quicks to bloom

Updated December 31, 2011 17:19:23

Coach Mickey Arthur says Australia's pace attack has the potential to be the best in the world and he is happy with his top six batsmen.

Arthur was very impressed by the performance of the pace trio of Peter Siddle, James Pattinson and Ben Hilfenhaus in the first Test win over India at the MCG.

With the likes of Ryan Harris, Patrick Cummins, Shane Watson and Mitchell Starc either injured or waiting in the wings, Arthur was bullish about Australia's pace stocks.

He says he is excited by the potential and the competition for places in every position.

"I thought we had 15 players that can play international cricket, at any given time," Arthur said.

"Hopefully by the end of the summer we might have 22 guys that can do that because we need to build up our strength in depth, which we are doing now.

"But I do think this pace attack has the potential to become the best in the world."

While captain Michael Clarke has suggested the recalled Harris could form part of a four-pronged pace attack at the SCG, Arthur doubts that is feasible.

"I'm pretty loath to go into any Test match without a spinner," Arthur said.

"Obviously conditions will determine that but the SCG has normally got a history of favouring spin down the line."

Arthur has no doubt that in Watson's continuing absence, the current top six was Australia's best available batting line-up.

"I think we just need to give them time, especially our younger players at one, two and three," Arthur said.

"David Warner is going to be a great player in all three forms of the game, same with Shaun Marsh.

"I think Ed Cowan gave us that stability that we were looking for, especially in the first innings.

"He almost brought a little bit of that calmness to that."

Arthur says he had seen enough of India's batsmen in Melbourne to alter plans for four of their top six.

AAP

Tags: cricket, sport, australia

First posted December 31, 2011 17:14:55

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Christian in frame for Test side: Arthur

Updated December 20, 2011 20:44:16

Australia coach Mickey Arthur says all-rounder Dan Christian is making a strong case to be named in Australia's team for the Boxing Day Test against India.

Arthur and his four co-selectors will name a squad on Wednesday which is likely to include top-order batsmen Shaun Marsh (back) and Shane Watson (hamstring), who are recovering from injuries.

Christian has been in blazing form for South Australia, scoring 475 Sheffield Shield runs at 59.37 this season.

Arthur said he was happy for Christian to play for Brisbane Heat in Tuesday night's Big Bash League game at the Gabba against Melbourne Stars before joining a batting camp at the MCG on Wednesday.

The three-day batting camp, supervised by Arthur and batting coach Justin Langer, includes Michael Clarke, Ricky Ponting, Mike Hussey, Brad Haddin, Marsh and Watson.

Current Test batsmen Phil Hughes, Usman Khawaja and David Warner and Test hopeful Ed Cowan are playing for a Cricket Australia Chairman's XI in a three-day game against India in Canberra this week.

While Watson is likely to be rushed back into the side at the expense of opener Hughes, uncertainty surrounds Watson's role.

Amid speculation the star all-rounder will be moved to the middle order because of his bowling workload, Watson is no certainty to bowl in next week's Melbourne Test and may play as a batsman only.

This could open the door for Christian to play the role of all-rounder and bat in the top six, at the expense of either Khawaja, Hussey or Ponting.

Arthur expressed confidence in veterans Ponting and Hussey on Tuesday but added no one was guaranteed a game and they had to keep producing runs to be selected.

Arthur said he was unsure on the fitness of Watson and Marsh and this would be established overnight before the squad was announced on Wednesday.

"Our preference for balance of the team is always to try to have an all-rounder and if we've got one who we think is capable of doing the job, he will play," Arthur said.

Arthur said playing back-to-back Tests in Melbourne (December 26-30) and Sydney (January 3-7) would be tough on a four-man bowling attack.

"I see the spinner (Nathan Lyon) bowling a huge amount more and we need to be able to fiddle some overs from our batters," Arthur said.

Arthur said his philosophy on picking a team included naming your best six batsmen, your best four bowlers then picking a keeper.

"Dan Christian has done superbly well for South Australia. Stats will tell you that he could possibly be in our top six batters," Arthur said.

"If you can get some overs out of your best six batsmen, then that's a bonus."

AAP

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First posted December 20, 2011 17:20:59

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