Never mind the debates about foreign and native coaches, Mickey Arthur has a strong vision for Australian cricket and he has every chance of succeeding…
Not everybody (fortunately) has the same simplistic views as Jamie Carragher, and while Australia would undoubtedly liked to have been able to appoint one of their own, they will be delighted at securing the services of Mickey Arthur.
Arthur, the man at the helm when South Africa reached number one in the world, has been living in Perth for a couple of years as boss of Western Australia, and while he has a huge job on his hands, he has both the experience and the personality to flourish.
That said, he’s got some important decisions to make sooner rather than later, including whether to follow the mood of the country that wants to shuffle Ricky Ponting into premature retirement, or go for a smoother transition. Ponting proved he still belongs at Test level on Monday with a superb innings of 62 that helped Australia achieve a record run-chase.
Arthur has already stated that he’s not looking beyond the short-term objective of winning his first series – another two-Test affair against New Zealand who, ironically, just happen to be managed by Aussie John Buchanan, the man who oversaw the country’s best years.
The emergence of 18-year-old Pat Cummins as matchwinner with ball and bat in Johannesburg proves that there is young Australian talent, and a pragmatic mix of promise with experience will be just right for Arthur to make his mark. The Aussies are 2.02 to get their new coach’s career off the ground with a 2-0 series victory and that looks like a decent bet.
For all the latest odds check out betfair.com
