Cricket: Mark Greatbatch might not continue as New Zealand coach
Mark Greatbatch, coach of the New Zealand cricket team, has reportedly said that he is willing to resign from his post, following the Kiwis’ “shocking” performance in their ODI series’ against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Bangladesh-c747 and India.
"I've been asked to do this job through to the World Cup and I'm committed to that,” said Greatbatch, but also added, “If it's in the best interests of New Zealand cricket to make a change I'd accept that."
New Zealand is currently on a tragic losing streak, having lost each of its last 11 ODI matches. On Monday, New Zealand Cricket launched a review of the team’s 5-0 whitewash at the hands of India. Chief Executive Justin Vaughan
has said that the performance of key personnel would be under scrutiny to determine what must be done to improve the team’s situation before the 2011 World Cup. Vaughan has already dismissed suggestions that Daniel Vettori's captaincy may be under threat –
but the role of Greatbatch, who has been the principal target of public outrage since the series in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750, will most certainly be re-evaluated.
"At the end of the day, it is about us winning games and becoming better,” Greatbatch conceded. “We are struggling to find that consistency and if it's me, it's me."
Greatbatch replaced Andy Moles in January this year as the national team coach, at the request of Vettori, but he says he was brought in primarily to help improve the team’s batting. "In the public's eyes I'm the coach, but in
reality I took the job as the batting coach and as a person to help Dan [Vettori] in other areas like selection and to take the load off him at times.”
The coach is not the only one under fire for the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-Zealand-c754 team’s poor performance in South Asia. There has also been fierce criticism of the team’s management structure, especially of Vettori’s multiple roles as captain, part-time
coach and selector. The suitability of team manager Dave Currie and performance director Roger Mortimer, neither of whom is from a cricketing background, has also come into question.
Furthermore, the players themselves are also going to be bearing the brunt of the consequences of their dismal performance. Heath http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mills-c76321, the head of the New Zealand cricket players’ union, affirmed that the players would indeed
be penalized financially.
"If they don't perform during the year, they will slide down the (player) rankings and get paid less money," Mills said. "It's as simple as that, and it's happened over the last few years under our system.
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