When players start taking key decisions and coach watches it spells disaster, believes Aussie great Simon O’Donnell

Sydney: Former Australian allrounder Simon O’Donnell firmly believes when players, rather than head coaches, start taking key decisions about the team, things can get “murky”, and attributes Australia’s premature exit from the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup at home to chief coach Andrew McDonald giving in to players’ opinions.

The 59-year-old veteran of 87 ODIs and six Tests has also expressed serious doubts over McDonald’s ability to lead the national side. McDonald was appointed head coach — first on an interim basis and then in the long term — by Cricket Australia (CA) after Justin Langer stepped down from his role as a short-term, six-month stint wasn’t agreeable to him.

Players were reportedly unhappy with Langer’s micromanagement of the team and things came to a boil on a couple occasions during his four-year stint beginning in 2018. Cricket Australia (CA) had to intervene to bring about harmony in the side. Later, Langer was left with no choice but to step away from his coaching role.

Simon O’Donnell firmly believes Australia’s dismal run in the T20 World Cup is because Langer is no longer at the helm of affairs of the team.

“When the player opinion started coming in is when this got murky,” O’Donnell said on SEN Breakfast on Tuesday.

“Leadership can never be by negotiation, you can never be there because the players say they like you. You’re there because the performance has to be a certain level and there are certain standards you have to set to get there.”

The Australian side led by captain Pat Cummins had said they wanted to go in a “different direction”, indicating they wanted to step away from Langer, and McDonald was then endorsed as his successor.

“Do you think Craig Bellamy (an Australian professional rugby league football coach) is everyone’s best mate? What Craig Bellamy does is he explains to everyone what their role is… very simple mantra, very simple psyche,” said O’Donnell.

Bellamy has yet to coach a losing NRL (National Rugby League) season, maintaining a better than 50 per cent win-loss ratio for each season he has coached.

Before he quit his job after the big Ashes triumph earlier this year, Langer guided Australia to its maiden T20 World Cup in 2021 and then helped them retain the Ashes.

“He (Langer) got on fine with the players. He lasted a long time and he was very successful,” O’Donnell stated. “He couldn’t have been as successful as he was if they didn’t play for him, and they did. (The players) turned, and now we’ll find out whether the turn and the players’ decision to turn is going to be any good for Australian cricket. The next 12 months are massively important, not just for Andrew McDonald but for the players.

“I’m a great believer that you can’t lead by negotiation. You cannot lead by saying I’ll do it this way as long as you guys are happy. Andrew McDonald must put his stamp on this and say, ‘this is me as a coach’,” O’Donnell added.

“He’s part player appointed, so how does he do it? How is he their mate and their boss as well? When you muddy that line, I only see trouble. I hope there’s not, because Andrew McDonald is a ripping bloke, he’s a very good coach, but I think the platform he’s been put in on is a really, really dangerous one.”

–IANS