Cricket Australia appoints Mickey Arthur as new head coach

Former Proteas mentor Mickey Arthur has been appointed as Australian team''s new head cricket coach.

‘‘I am honoured and privileged to have another chance to coach an international team, particularly a team of the ilk of Australia,’’ the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Arthur, as saying.
‘‘I think I bring a fresh, unblinkered eye to the role after plotting against Australia when coaching South Africa and having now worked within the Australian system with the Warriors,” he added.
Arthur,43 is the first non-Australian coach, though he is planning to take up Australian citizenship.
He said he did not expect to face any extra difficulty from being the first foreign coach of the national team

 New Aussies Coach Mickey Arthur

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Arthur will take over the post before Australia’s first Test match against New Zealand in Brisbane on December 1.
Arthur, who presently oversees Western Australia, was chosen ahead of Australias’s fielding coach Steve Rixon and former Sri Lanka coach Tom Moody.

Cricket Australia’s General Manager Pat Howard, said Arthur was the standout candidate.
His appointment came in the wake of drastic changes undertaken in Australian cricket following the Argus Report conducted after the country’s Ashes defeat at home grounds.
Cricket Australia had earlier appointed Howard as team performance manager and introduced a new selection panel comprising the national selector John Inverarity, captain Michael Clarke, selectors Rod Marsh and Andy Bichel and Arthur.

Arthur would be confronted with immediate selection issues with impending doubts over careers of Ricky Ponting and Brad Haddin and paceman Mitchell Johnson.I hope Arthur can bring the same reputation for the Australian team as the team had few years back.