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Martyn's farewell showed a lack of careBrendan McArdle
December 12, 2006
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DAMIEN Martyn's shock resignation is an embarrassment to Australian captain Ricky Ponting and the selection panel that recalled him to the Test team back in March. He has shown a total lack of appreciation for the lifeline he was given.
Rather than having breathing space until Shane Watson is fit, the selectors have now been forced into a back-flip on Andrew Symonds.
It also has been shown that the career of Brad Hodge has been thrown into turmoil to accommodate a bloke who apparently didn't really care.
From the moment Martyn was recalled to the one-day team in January, there has been an uneasy edge to his game.
Martyn has had the look of a miffed player seeking revenge, a player who was either taking the mickey out of the game or was determined to prove people wrong in his own way. In last season's one-day series, brilliant strokeplay was interspersed with one bizarre dismissal after another. Last Tuesday's puzzling cameo during the run chase in Adelaide said it all. On the way to one of his nation's most significant Test victories, Martyn decided to dance to his own tune.
His selection ahead of Hodge for the South African tour nine months ago was a devastating pill for the Victorian to swallow, given Hodge's double century only three Tests earlier. It was a decision apparently driven by Ponting, based purely on the belief that Martyn was the more likely of the two to influence an important series. It was also followed by the resignation of Trevor Hohns as chairman of selectors.
The skipper's judgement was vindicated by Martyn's matchwinning century in Johannesburg, and by his form at the recent Champions Trophy, but now Ponting must feel that his loyalty, to some extent, has been betrayed.
There are two myths about Martyn that need to be exploded. One is that he was the sacrificial lamb whose career was put on hold after an indiscreet shot against South Africa in Sydney in 1994. It could not be further from the truth.
After beginning as a precocious 21-year-old talent against the West Indies in the 1992-93 Australian season, Martyn was then left out of 11 of Australia's next 12 Tests. He didn't play in the 1993 Ashes series, and didn't appear in the three Tests that preceded the South African Tests of 1993-94.
When axed after two Tests against the Proteas in which he had made eight, 59 and six, his record stood at seven Tests for 317 runs at an average of 28. Some poor lamb.
The second myth is about his misfortune in last year's Ashes series. The truth is that he copped two bad leg-before decisions because he refused to get forward to England's on-song pace bowlers.
Faced with the first example of challenging bowling that he and his teammates had confronted in years, his technique and temperament were laid bare. He lost his appetite for the fight, as he did in Adelaide last week, and he and others quite rightly paid the price when they returned home.
Martyn was a wonderful player for a four-year period from about 2001 onwards. He had forced his way back into international prominence through consistently good one-day performances. In Tests, he was brilliant against Muthiah Muralidaran in Sri Lanka, he was the rock upon which our batting was based in the memorable win in India, and he played sublimely in the 2001 Ashes series.
It was apparent last year in England that Martyn had lost his nerve. It became increasingly difficult to accept that he deserved a place while others were crying out for a chance. No one would have known that more than Martyn.
Sometimes cricket throws up players such as Darren Lehmann, who give an overwhelming impression that the game is richer for their presence. In Martyn's case, there will always be a mix of admiration and hollowness.
http://www.theage.com.au/news/columns/martyns-farewell-showed-a-lack-of-care/2006/12/11/1165685616344.html
December 12, 2006
AdvertisementAdvertisement
DAMIEN Martyn's shock resignation is an embarrassment to Australian captain Ricky Ponting and the selection panel that recalled him to the Test team back in March. He has shown a total lack of appreciation for the lifeline he was given.
Rather than having breathing space until Shane Watson is fit, the selectors have now been forced into a back-flip on Andrew Symonds.
It also has been shown that the career of Brad Hodge has been thrown into turmoil to accommodate a bloke who apparently didn't really care.
From the moment Martyn was recalled to the one-day team in January, there has been an uneasy edge to his game.
Martyn has had the look of a miffed player seeking revenge, a player who was either taking the mickey out of the game or was determined to prove people wrong in his own way. In last season's one-day series, brilliant strokeplay was interspersed with one bizarre dismissal after another. Last Tuesday's puzzling cameo during the run chase in Adelaide said it all. On the way to one of his nation's most significant Test victories, Martyn decided to dance to his own tune.
His selection ahead of Hodge for the South African tour nine months ago was a devastating pill for the Victorian to swallow, given Hodge's double century only three Tests earlier. It was a decision apparently driven by Ponting, based purely on the belief that Martyn was the more likely of the two to influence an important series. It was also followed by the resignation of Trevor Hohns as chairman of selectors.
The skipper's judgement was vindicated by Martyn's matchwinning century in Johannesburg, and by his form at the recent Champions Trophy, but now Ponting must feel that his loyalty, to some extent, has been betrayed.
There are two myths about Martyn that need to be exploded. One is that he was the sacrificial lamb whose career was put on hold after an indiscreet shot against South Africa in Sydney in 1994. It could not be further from the truth.
After beginning as a precocious 21-year-old talent against the West Indies in the 1992-93 Australian season, Martyn was then left out of 11 of Australia's next 12 Tests. He didn't play in the 1993 Ashes series, and didn't appear in the three Tests that preceded the South African Tests of 1993-94.
When axed after two Tests against the Proteas in which he had made eight, 59 and six, his record stood at seven Tests for 317 runs at an average of 28. Some poor lamb.
The second myth is about his misfortune in last year's Ashes series. The truth is that he copped two bad leg-before decisions because he refused to get forward to England's on-song pace bowlers.
Faced with the first example of challenging bowling that he and his teammates had confronted in years, his technique and temperament were laid bare. He lost his appetite for the fight, as he did in Adelaide last week, and he and others quite rightly paid the price when they returned home.
Martyn was a wonderful player for a four-year period from about 2001 onwards. He had forced his way back into international prominence through consistently good one-day performances. In Tests, he was brilliant against Muthiah Muralidaran in Sri Lanka, he was the rock upon which our batting was based in the memorable win in India, and he played sublimely in the 2001 Ashes series.
It was apparent last year in England that Martyn had lost his nerve. It became increasingly difficult to accept that he deserved a place while others were crying out for a chance. No one would have known that more than Martyn.
Sometimes cricket throws up players such as Darren Lehmann, who give an overwhelming impression that the game is richer for their presence. In Martyn's case, there will always be a mix of admiration and hollowness.
http://www.theage.com.au/news/columns/martyns-farewell-showed-a-lack-of-care/2006/12/11/1165685616344.html
