The legendary Ian Healy has unleashed a withering attack on Cricket Australia and Cricket Tasmania over the postponement of the Sheffield Shield clash, slamming it as “a debacle”.
The match between Queensland and Tasmania, scheduled to begin on Tuesday morning in Brisbane, was postponed when Tasmania made the call to fly home just moments before it was due to start.
The only reason given by Cricket Australia and Cricket Tasmania for the abandonment was that Queensland had recorded four new COVID-19 cases.
The decision was even made before the public address of Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and, in her address, she didn’t even enforce a lockdown, instead tightening mask rules.
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Healy’s SEN radio co-host, Pat Welsh, labelled the canning of the fixture “a knee-jerk reaction”.
Healy, who sits on the board of Queensland Cricket, went harder.
“To get rugby league out of the headlines (during NRL grand final week) they went to some extreme lengths … in what can only be called a cricket debacle,” Healy said.
“So, who are they? Who are Cricket Australia match operations? Why did they go without the public health information of yesterday in postponing a Sheffield Shield match? Then, who gave all the approvals to the Cricket Australia match operations committee?
“Now, match operations take things very seriously at a micro level. Ah, gee, they’re good at putting out the tape to tell public and staff where they can and can’t go. ‘This is for players.’ They demark those areas beautifully!”
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The postponement of a Sheffield Shield match is particularly significant this year because of the looming home Ashes series.
The Queensland-Tasmania fixture would have given the likes of Marnus Labuschagne, Usman Khawaja, Michael Neser and Matthew Wade an opportunity to either fine-tune for the Ashes or stake their selection claims.
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Healy’s rant was a long one.
“And then they disrespect the competition,” the former Test wicketkeeper said.
“It’s unbelievable! The important bits they disrespect. That was incredible.
“The integrity of the Sheffield Shield has been disrespected by Cricket Australia staff. The leadership of Cricket Australia has been disrespected by the same staff. They weren’t even contacted. Can you believe that?
“There’s four things. One: the postponement. Two: no leadership in cricket contacted. So, therefore, they’re not respected and regarded. Three: the fly home from Tassie. And four: just as bad, the media blackout! You can’t have a debacle like this in a major sport in our country and not tell us why. They don’t know why! That’s why (they didn’t tell us).
“It was an absolute debacle.”
In the only completed Sheffield Shield match of the 2021-22 summer so far, South Australia drew with Western Australia in Adelaide on Monday.
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