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SYDNEY: Australian cricket coach Tim Nielsen has dismissed claims of disharmony within his team as “uneducated,” adding there has been no panic or infighting over its seven-match losing streak.
In a blog on the Cricket Australia website, Nielsen wrote that he is shocked by the public and media scrutiny the Australian team has faced during its recent run of poor form.
“As is often the case, as soon as we lose a couple of games there is all sorts of talk about disharmony and infighting within the team,” Nielsen wrote.
“This couldn’t be further from the truth and (is) a standard barb thrown by those outside the group searching for a reason why we are losing.”
Australia ended its losing streak with an eight-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the third limited-overs international in Brisbane on Sunday, though Sri Lanka won the series 2-1.
Nielsen said the series loss to Sri Lanka was not the result of disharmony.
“Ultimately, we lost because we didn’t bat, bowl or field well enough and Sri Lanka outplayed us in the first two ODIs,” he said. “While it has been tough ... there was no panic or infighting, I can promise you.
“This team is tough enough not to allow uneducated opinion upset it.”
Nielsen said Australia is still on target for the Ashes test series against England, which begins on Nov. 25.
“I don’t remember anything in my time as coach like the public and media scrutiny the team has seen this week,” he said. “It is certainly made all the more difficult when results aren’t coming and everyone in Australia has an opinion to how to fix things up.
“Most important for us as a team is to ensure that we don’t panic and keep our eye firmly on the targets. We now have a couple of weeks to prepare for the Ashes series, and I think all involved are looking forward to using this time to complete their personal preparation in Sheffield Shield cricket and be 100 per cent right come the first test in Brisbane.”
