The Ashes Diary Page 2

  But it had now. Mickey had decided to put David on what we call an ‘amber’ level, which means he’s on his last warning before serious action will be taken. That information reached Cricket Australia, and they immediately banned David from the next Champions Trophy game and said there would be a hearing, conducted by their appointed commissioner, Justice Gordon Lewis.

  That took it out of the team leadership’s hands. It all happened so quickly, even George Bailey, who was Australia’s one-day captain in my absence, didn’t know about it until the morning of the match against New Zealand. Somebody said to him at breakfast, ‘What are you going to do about the batting order without Davey?’ That was how George found out he wouldn’t have Warner.

  The commissioner decided there had been a code-of-behaviour breach by David, and fined him effectively $11,500 while standing him down from the remaining Champions Trophy games and our two Ashes warm-up fixtures against Somerset and Worcestershire. It was a stern punishment, as it jeopardised David’s prospects of playing in the First Test match, considering he wouldn’t have played any cricket by then for four weeks. That in turn would affect his chances for the Second Test match, which will be back-to-back with the first.

  David had already been censured during the IPL for some intemperate remarks on Twitter directed at the News Limited journalists Malcolm Conn and Robert Craddock. I was surprised that he would lose his cool in a bar for no good reason. I felt that there had to be more to it. I was also disappointed that the boys would be out in the early hours of the morning when they had just lost a game. I’m all for having a good night as a team to celebrate, but pick your night to celebrate a win – don’t go out and have a laugh with some England players after losing to them. It just wasn’t acceptable.

  In London, I was working hard on my routine with Steve, spending three to four sessions a day on the MedX machine. Under his care, my back improved dramatically.

  Our results didn’t. We got into a good position against New Zealand, but rain blew in and washed the game out before we could get a result. That was a real shame, because a win would have pepped us up. I willed the rain to stay away. But it wasn’t to be.

  That day, I had a series of cortisone injections: two in my facet joints, one nerve root injection through the right glute, and one injection into the muscle area above the L4 and L5 vertebrae.

  I could immediately feel a benefit from the injections and the MedX and physio treatment, so I was in a better mood when the Champions Trophy squad came down to London. One of my first priorities was to sit down with David for an hour. I wanted to hear the full story from him, just between the two of us, teammate to teammate rather than in the setting of a formal disciplinary hearing. I made my thoughts clear about how disappointed I was that he hadn’t told me when he’d seen me on the Sunday. I could understand (but not agree with) him not wanting it to get out, but his actions had been unacceptable for an Australian Test cricketer. It wasn’t me he’d let down, though: he’d let down his team, his family, and most importantly himself. Our standards had been slipping in a number of ways – small things that add up to big things – and he knew that. I really think David has a big future in Australian cricket. Of course he can overcome this obstacle, but he has to start now.

  Anyway, he’d been punished. Any time you get dropped for a game is the harshest sanction for a proud cricketer.

  Another priority was to catch up with Shane Watson. In the last few days I’ve received phone calls from guys in the one-day squad and from staff referring to Shane’s attitude around the group. Shane has strong opinions, which is his right as a senior member of the team, but sometimes there’s a right way and a wrong way to put them. I wanted to know if everything was okay with him, to hear how he was feeling in his own words, rather than through others. I didn’t want people talking about anybody in the team behind their back. Whatever I heard, I wanted to hear from Shane himself, so that I could help.

  We’ve had honest conversations, which is fantastic. We’ve had to do this before, in India. Before the First Test in Chennai, I called Watto into my room for an hour and a half. We got a lot of things off our chests and thrashed it out and I think that from that point our relationship has been extremely good. My aim is to have us all going in the same direction. In these situations, the worst thing is when you hear things second- or third-hand. As in Chennai, I feel that when we have these talks, we come out of it as a stronger team.

  The boys went out at the Oval yesterday and lost to Sri Lanka. Their assignment was extremely difficult. Because of the wash-out against New Zealand, they had to win the match by a massive margin. They showed a lot of character trying their best to achieve that, but couldn’t manage it. So we’re out of the Champions Trophy.

  James Sutherland, chief executive of Cricket Australia, and Pat Howard, our team performance manager, have come over for a number of meetings. James was pretty ropable about the Warner matter.

  We have four days to cool our heels in London before we catch a bus over to Taunton to meet the guys from the Australia A team who have been touring Scotland and England, and get our Ashes tour properly started.

  I can’t wait.

  Friday 21 June. London.

  Today I had a full cricket training session for the first time in three weeks. I feel like cracking the champagne. It feels like it’s been a long road back. It isn’t, really, but all the frustrations of not being in the Champions Trophy and dealing with those team issues have added to my impatience to get back on the field and contribute as a player.

  Alex has been steering me through it, bit by bit. Since the injections, everything seems to have been holding up. In the past two weeks, I haven’t been totally immobile. I started with some tennis ball throwdowns, batting gently for a few minutes at a time. That progressed to cricket ball throwdowns. The next step was some low-intensity net batting in full gear against local net bowlers. Today it was facing our bowlers in the nets. I batted for 45 minutes in three 15-minute sessions, then had 15 minutes of throwdowns and 20 minutes of slips catching.

  If I had to play a Test match starting today, I’d be ready. Yes! I can feel the excitement building. Our practice sessions have been at local school grounds so far, where they have fabulous facilities. On Sunday, for the first time, we go to Lord’s for our practice. Then on Monday we hop on the bus to Taunton and meet the Australia A boys – Brad Haddin, Usman Khawaja, James Pattinson, Peter Siddle, Ashton Agar, Nathan Lyon, Ryan Harris, Steve Smith and Jackson Bird. With the Champions Trophy guys and Eddie Cowan and Chris Rogers, who’ve been playing county cricket, that brings the whole Ashes squad together. At last!

  I’ve been thinking about the Champions Trophy result, which was certainly disappointing. But aside from the guys who were only here for that tournament, I would say that the players’ real focus has been on the Ashes. Not that that’s an excuse for the way we played, but I don’t think our minds were fully switched on for that event. If it had been outside England, it might have been different. But when I got here and gave press conferences, nine out of ten questions I was asked were about the Ashes.

  It has been the same with all our planning and conversations. This is an Ashes tour. At the Centre of Excellence in Brisbane, for instance, we were using red Dukes balls 90 per cent of the time, as they use in Test cricket in England.

  In the batting group, we’ve done a lot of talking, because we know that our performance is going to be the key. Everyone talks about how much talent our bowlers have, but if the batsmen don’t make enough runs, the bowlers will never be talented enough to win the games for us. Runs on the board are what we need. We have to improve quickly on our performance in India, and our focus has been on getting our defences right. Throughout my career, I’ve seen my defence as my go-to. We have to build the foundations of our innings patiently. That doesn’t mean being negative – I don’t want guys to be going out and blocking for 50 overs, then getting out for 20 runs. You can show as much positive intent in good defence
as you can by smacking fours. It’s about taking control of the situation, and showing the bowlers that you’re in charge. The best way to do that in Test cricket is by building an impregnable defence.

  Saturday 22 June. London. Afternoon.

  Days of ordinary training feel precious to me, after all the time in rehab. One thing an injury does is stop you from taking anything for granted.

  I had an early start and some treatment from Alex, before a one-hour coach ride to practice. The rain was closing in, and we hustled along to fit in as much work as possible. At our lunch break, we sat down and watched 20 minutes of the first rugby Test between the Wallabies and the British and Irish Lions in Brisbane. It was fun to take our minds off cricket, and the match was very close, but the Wallabies missed a couple of penalty goal shots in the last few minutes and didn’t get the result we all wanted.

  Back at the hotel, I had some more treatment from Alex before the two of us took a good long walk in Hyde Park. We discussed how far I’d come with my improvement, and what we needed to do from here. It’s more or less a matter of walking that fine line between committing myself fully to the important cricket fixtures, but not overdoing it when I feel the warning signs. Tomorrow we’re at Lord’s, the first time on that beautiful ground, and looking forward to training well.

  I have to say, it’s great to be back in action, and I can’t wait until we play in Taunton.

  Saturday 22 June. London. Night.

  I don’t know if I’m going to sleep tonight. I’m in complete turmoil.

  During the afternoon, I’d passed by James and Pat as they were coming in and out of meetings. They’d each said, separately, ‘We need to have a chat’, but they hadn’t set a time.

  Early in the evening, my wife Kyly and I were having a drink in the bar of the team hotel, the Royal Garden in Kensington, before going out to dinner. As we were walking out, we crossed paths with James and Pat.

  ‘Do you guys want to see me?’ I asked.

  ‘Sure. How about now?’

  I told them that Kyly and I had a dinner booking, but I’d be free afterwards.

  ‘Okay,’ James said. ‘Go to dinner and we’ll meet back here later.’

  When we returned to the hotel just after 8.30 pm, Kyly went up to our room and I sat in the bar by myself. James and Pat soon came in.

  Among the things I expected to talk about, one was the possibility of calling in players from outside the official Ashes squad. Mickey and I were keen on bringing in Steve Smith after his good form on the Australia A tour.

  I’ve been finding it stressful lately to be both captain and selector. Until tonight, I’ve been a member of the National Selection Panel (NSP), one of the recommendations of the Argus Review in 2011. It had also recommended making the coach a part of a five-man panel. This was also the time I’d taken over the national captaincy from Ricky Ponting, so during my entire tenure as captain I’ve also been a selector.

  But after the Indian tour, I wrote an email to James and Pat offering to resign as a selector. I’d grown increasingly uncomfortable with that role over the whole period. I felt being a selector was a full-time job that I couldn’t keep up with. As for players inside the team, I felt my time was better used in one-on-one chats and helping them at training, having coffee or breakfast or other off-field get-togethers with them, rather than talking about them with selectors. It can stretch the bond between me and that player when I’m part of a selection committee that might be considering his position. I can’t break selection-table confidentiality, so I have to support every decision, but on the other hand I have a personal relationship with that teammate. It’s a very complicated situation, and does nothing to build trust between the boys and me.

  I thought it was a good time to get on the front foot and tell Cricket Australia I wanted to step down from the panel. However, while listening to my concerns, they didn’t accept my resignation. They said it wasn’t the right time. I accepted that, and just cracked on.

  At any rate, tonight I thought we’d be talking about bringing in Smithy and various other matters. Instead, I was blind-sided.

  James spoke. ‘Tomorrow we’re going to Bristol to let Mickey know that he’s no longer required as our head coach, and we’re going to offer Darren Lehmann the job.’

  My head went so light that I thought I was going to fall off my stool. I was too stunned to speak. In the end, I think the first thing I said was, ‘I don’t know what to say.’ It was the last thing – the absolute last thing – I thought the meeting was going to be about.

  James and Pat talked on a bit while I calmed down. We had a drink, and I tried to take it in. They know how close I am to Mickey, and how much work has gone into planning for this series.

  ‘We wanted you to be the first to know,’ James said. ‘So how do you feel about it? How will the team handle it?’

  I wasn’t thinking about myself. I just said, ‘Mickey’s going to be shattered.’

  ‘How about the team?’

  My concern for the team, I said, was in the timing of the decision. Did it have to be now? The First Test was starting in 18 days. Leaving aside the merits or otherwise of the decision, what kind of signal did it send to replace the coach four weeks into an England tour, 18 days before an Ashes series started?

  ‘Are you sure it’s the right time?’ I said. ‘We’ve done so much planning together for this series.’ And that was leaving aside what message it would send our opponents. The English would make the most of this and see it as a sign of panic, that’s for sure.

  James and Pat spoke about what they thought Darren could bring to the table. I was still trying to get over the shock. They felt that the team’s results in India and now in the Champions Trophy confirmed that Mickey’s coaching style wasn’t getting the on-field results we were looking for. The off-field problems, in India and England, also didn’t seem to be getting better.

  As far as I was concerned, it was ourselves, the players, who had not performed well enough in India.

  ‘Also,’ James said, ‘we’re happy to accept your resignation as a selector now.’

  I was so shocked about Mickey, I barely even heard him.

  Two hours later, I drifted up to my room, where I am now. Since I’ve been up here, the shock hasn’t worn off, and now there is guilt too. Mickey and I have been talking on the phone several times a day about the Australia A team and the possible selection of the Test squad. He has just rung me, and when I saw his number come up I didn’t take his call. I don’t want to lie to him. I know that his mother’s very sick as well, and may not live for much longer. The timing could never have been good for this decision, but it could hardly have been worse.

  Mickey’s a very caring guy. A coach has to be the bad cop sometimes, and that’s what Mickey has found most difficult. He and I have complemented each other, and I see him as a kind, fatherly figure around the team, but there have been times when Cricket Australia have spoken to him about the coach’s need to be tougher on team discipline.

  My head is spinning. Tomorrow I have to speak to him. I won’t be sleeping much tonight.

  Sunday 23 June. London.

  I’ve spoken to Mickey this morning. He texted me as soon as he’d got the news from Pat, who drove to Bristol first thing to tell him face-to-face. I told him how terrible I felt for him, and said how much we, the players, felt for him. He, as always, is taking it stoically.

  The hardest part is how I feel for him as a man. This has happened to him while his mother, who is in South Africa, is not far from passing away. I want to be there, emotionally, to support him. But I’m also part of the system that is now letting him go. He’s being very encouraging to us, and is telling me that we can win the Ashes. He really feels we’re on the cusp of great things, and he wants to see us achieve our potential. I still can’t believe he’s not going to be on this journey with us.

  3

  THE ASHES TOUR STARTS

  Monday 24 June. Taunton.

  What
a way to start the Ashes tour proper. As Pat Howard drove me from Bristol to Taunton, about a three-hour trip, I had time to let it all sink in. The thing is, I have to look ahead. People come and go, the game moves forward, and you’ve got to get on with it. It’s the same for a head coach as it is for a player. We’ve seen it with Ricky Ponting and Mike Hussey when they retired, and all the other players who get dropped. Individuals go, but those who are left have the responsibility to keep carrying the game forward. One day it’ll be me who goes. It’s brutal, but that’s just the way it is.

  One of the first things I did in Bristol was to tell the team that if they wanted to talk to Mickey and say goodbye, or send him any other message, now was the time. Nearly all of them saw him personally.

  While the team travelled to Taunton, I stayed in Bristol for a press conference. First up were James and Pat explaining the decision, then Mickey said his piece, and finally Darren Lehmann and me. It was quite awkward for Darren and Mickey. They have no personal vendettas against each other. They’re both very nice men, and while it was no doubt excruciating for them, they handled it in the manner I’d have expected.

  While we were waiting for our press conference, Darren and I sat down and had a coffee. We had a good chat about things. He was as shocked as anybody by Mickey’s sacking, and was put on the spot when James and Pat asked him to take over. He said yes, because that’s the type of guy Boof is – always up for a challenge.