Ashes 2010-11: Australian coach Tim Nielsen under the scanner
Australian coach Tim Nielsen is a worried man as angry Aussie cricket fans call for his sacking following their national Test cricket team’s third Ashes defeat since 2005.
After a drawn first Test at the Gabba and a resounding defeat in the second Test at the Adelaide Oval, Australia had revived their chances of saving the series in the third Test at the WACA. However, that win
was followed by a humiliating innings defeat at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, which resulted in England retaining the coveted Ashes urn and Australia losing the Ashes on home soil for the first time in 24 years.
After the Melbourne Test, Nielsen – who replaced John http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Buchanan-c48808 as head coach of the Australian cricket team in February 2007 – was asked whether he thought he was doing a good job.
"I'm probably the wrong person to ask in some regards," he said. "It's hard for me to sit here and say I'm not doing a good job -- I believe I am. I believe I'm doing everything in my ability with my staff and
the playing group to perform at the highest level that we can."
He did, however, admit that he had moments of doubt during the series.
"We started the series well, we had a terrible 15 minutes to start the Adelaide Test match and before we knew it, we were bundled out of that Test," Nielsen said. "I questioned myself quite strongly after that
game. Did our preparation give us the best chance of starting well and being in the game?"
The 42-year-old has established a reputation for talking too much without saying anything of any real substance.
"No doubt," he said. "When you're losing Ashes series you always feel under pressure. When you're losing Test matches, whoever your opposition may be, you feel under pressure."
He also seems to believe that Australia’s poor form is a recent phenomenon, insisting that "it was only seven days ago we were on top of the world and everything was going along swimmingly." In truth, the Aussies
haven’t been ranked number one since the last Ashes series in 2009, and have had a tumultuous 2010. Since making it to the finals of the T20 World Championship in the Caribbean in May this year, Australia have been on a fairly steady downward spiral. They
lost a five-match ODI series to England, a two-match T20 series to Pakistan, drew a two-match Test series with http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750 before succumbing to the Sri Lankans at home in the T20 and ODI formats.
"We understand that we've got some talented cricketers in our team but we didn't click as well as we would have liked in Melbourne," said Nielsen, but the fact remains that the team has rarely "clicked" in its
past several matches, at several venues.
The final Test of the five-match Ashes series starts on January 3 at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Nielsen has the steep task of galvanizing the team in the absence of regular captain Ricky Ponting, who has stepped
down from the match due to a finger injury. Michael http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Usman-Khawaja-c2729. Besides Ponting, Australia will also be missing
fast bowler Ryan Harris, who has been ruled out for at least the next four months due to an ankle injury. Doug Bollinger will be taking his place on the squad.
While the Ashes is already lost (England’s victory at the MCG effectively won the urn because they were the defending champions from 2009), a series draw by http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 winning in Sydney would be a major consolation for the hosts.
It remains to be seen if Nielsen can ensure this much, at least, for his team.
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