Bushranger anger over Pattinson offer CHLOE SALTAU
April 16, 2010
IT IS not unusual for Victorian cricket officials to be mad with the national selectors, and this time the angst runs deep.
It centres on an approach from South Australia to Bushrangers fast bowler Darren Pattinson, and a perception that selector Jamie Cox, who is also director of cricket for the South Australian Cricket Association, has a conflict of interest.
The perception is not new; Fairfax columnist Peter Roebuck wrote in December that the former Tasmanian captain must relinquish one role or the other because they were bound to clash.
The Pattinson case appears to have brought the issue to a head. Victoria claims privately that the national selectors' decision to award Redbacks paceman Shaun Tait a Cricket Australia contract - the fast and wild quick is the only Twenty20 specialist on the list - frees up cash for SA to chase a paceman from another state.
The Bushrangers say they are restricted by the salary cap in what they can offer Pattinson, whose value to their attack transcends his notoriety as a one-off Test player for England.
Victorian coach Greg Shipperd was otherwise occupied as coach of Delhi in the Indian Premier League when The Age called last night, but he is clearly upset about the situation. ''I am happy to speak on that issue when I get back to Australia but certainly it is something that Victoria and all the other states should attend to, in my opinion, as a matter of urgency,'' Shipperd said.
''All I will say is that the states are in the balance with decisions, and I don't think it assists the game in Australia that these conflicts of interest, perceived or otherwise, exist. The game is professional enough to provide full-time national selectors.''
At this stage, the coach is not prepared to elaborate, except to state that ''it would be very disappointing for us to lose Darren Pattinson''.
Pattinson, 30, is playing county cricket in England but his manager, Gerard Sholly, said his client was ''very happy'' with Victoria and will meet Bushrangers officials next week.
Still, the matter highlights issues other than the push for a full-time selector, which was placed on hold when the CA board re-appointed chairman Andrew Hilditch for two years. Fellow selector David Boon holds a similar role to Cox in Tasmania.
As The Age reported this month, CA has pledged to review its outdated system for awarding contracts to reflect the growth of Twenty20. In the meantime, players are given a limited-overs ranking and the selectors use their discretion to weigh the importance of Twenty20 within that category.
Tait, who has bowled 20 overs in five Twenty20 games for Australia in the past year, received a base contract of about $210,000, but opening batsman David Warner, who played eight Twenty20 games in the same period, missed out. So did David Hussey.
Victorians are often too quick to float conspiracy theories about national selection, and Cox, who chose not to comment last night, should be taken at his word upon accepting the SACA job that it would complement his selection duties rather than present a conflict. ''And if it were to arise, then I'd just purely step back,'' he said at the time. Still, the perception will not go away.
. Keep us updated Brockley.
