Cricket Australia manager Pat Howard. Photo: File Photo/Paul Jeffers
Cricket Australia general manager of team performance Pat Howard has defended the suspension of four players from the Test team and questioned Shane Watson's commitment to the side.
Usman Khawaja, Mitchell Johnson, James Pattinson and Shane Watson were all dumped from the third Test squad after failing to complete a task assigned by coach Mickey Arthur, which required verbal or written feedback on how to improve the team's flagging fortunes.
In a tense interview, Howard stoutly defended the decision, which has been slammed by former greats including Allan Border and Mark Waugh.
He also queried the team credentials of vice-captain Watson, who has threatened to walk away from Test cricket after his dumping.
"Look, there's the individual aspect. I think that's a hard one to measure. I know Shane reasonably well. I think he acts in the best interests of the team sometimes. That's probably a better one for the players to judge," Howard said during a press conference in Brisbane.
"[But] there are failings in our system that we're not getting the best out of Shane. So that's our fault."
Howard said the CA board had endorsed the drastic decision which has divided cricket fans.
He also confirmed Arthur would remain as coach for back-to-back Ashes' series later this year.
"You keep dropping standards, you keep abusing. It eventually got to a point where they didn't want to back down any more," he said.
He said the tardy submissions were the latest in a long line of disciplinary infractions from members of the touring squad, which included at least one of the four players stood down.
But he wouldn't detail any of the previous issues.
Howard also admitted there were issues between Watson and captain Michael Clarke.
smh.com.au
