Former fast bowler called head of cricket James Allsopp a ‘grade coach’ and said selector George Bailey lacks gravitas
Cricket Australia have boycotted player interviews with the ABC, furious with the national broadcaster over former Test quick Stuart Clark’s criticism of selector George Bailey and head of cricket James Allsopp.
Clark created headlines on Monday when he criticised the Australian setup in his role as an ABC commentator, labelling Allsopp a “grade coach” and suggesting Bailey was just a yes-man without gravitas to stand up to players and coaches.
Those comments drew the ire of CA bosses, with chief executive Todd Greenberg meeting Clark on Tuesday to voice his displeasure and defend the pair. Greenberg has also confirmed the views are not those of Cricket NSW, given Clark is a NSW selector and board member.
Allsopp is well regarded by officials at CA, having risen through the ranks from a high-performance manager, women’s state coach and boss of Cricket ACT after working in NSW’s pathways setup. Bailey has had a run of success since taking over as chief selector in 2021, all the while receiving regular criticism from past players. That in itself is known to have upset Australia’s coaching team.
The national broadcaster is generally given a player at stumps each day for an on-air interview, but it is understood CA did not feel it appropriate to do so after play on day three in Sydney. AAP has been told there is no contractual obligation for CA to provide the ABC a player, but it is expected post-play interviews will resume as normal on Wednesday.
On Tuesday evening, Steve Smith spoke to other broadcasters following his century, as Australia took charge of the fifth Ashes Test against England. That then prompted ABC commentator Corbin Middlemas to hit out at CA on air over the matter.
“It is extremely disappointing from the fact that people in the regions and people who listen to ABC radio right across the country that obviously at this time don’t get the chance to hear from the Australian cricket team,” Middlemas said. “The Australian team is a public good. It is not a private team, not private enterprise. They are the custodians of the game as it sits at the moment and is a team all Australians have a stake in it.”
Clark then said he had spoken “cordially” with Greenberg about his views on Tuesday. “I am not going to get into a public spat with Todd. I have known Todd for 20 odd years. We worked together at the NRL. We are friends. We played golf together,” he said. “We have had disagreements. We will continue to have disagreements. We obviously don’t agree and that’s cool.
“I will probably see him later tonight at a function and we will probably have a laugh about it. From my point of view there is no point in having a war of words about this.other than to confirm that I went and found Todd.”
