Sydney, Sep 5 : Australian cricket team coach Tim Nielsen has revealed that he has in the past reported suspect behaviour to the team management, and declared that young players are particularly vulnerable to corrupting influences.
“I’ve spoken to our manager once or twice about things that have happened, but nothing has ever come of them. You meet so many people, go to so many functions and events on the road and it’s hard to differentiate between what’s good and what’s a potential problem,” The Sydney Morning Herald quoted Nielsen, as saying.
“People love the idea of talking to a player or the coach and getting information behind the scenes. That’s all innocent. But there are people who are doing it for sinister reasons,” he added.
Nielsen further said that being on tour meant that players are susceptible to problematic situations at any hour.
“It was the players’ responsibility to understand how easily things could go wrong. Management people - meaning captains, vice-captains, coaches – can’t be with the players all the time,” Nielsen said.
He was also surprised that the Sydney Test against Pakistan was now tainted.
“It’s almost like we’ve been naive to it. I’m wondering now about a whole lot of things - why do people do it? How will the game survive? How can we ensure that people feel they still have a great team to follow? People are going to question results in all games, but especially against Pakistan,” Nielsen said.
“In the Sydney Test no one had given a moment’s thought about it being given up or fixed. The guys felt it was some of the hardest Test cricket they’d ever played,” he added.
© ANI
