It comes as no surprise that Cricket Tasmania decided it was time to part ways with coach Dan Marsh.
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Success has certainly been limited for the Tigers since Marsh took the reins in 2013 after almost a decade under the leadership of Tim Coyle. His time as coach saw the Tigers win the top domestic competition - the Sheffield Shield/Pura Cup - on three occasions, finish runners-up once as well as two domestic one-day crowns.
It has certainly been a year of change for Cricket Tasmania having just appointed former Sydney Thunder general manager Nick Cummins as its new chief executive, while the state’s Big Bash coach Damien Wright was told his contact as coach of the Hobart Hurricanes would not be renewed next season.
Cricket Tasmania chairman Andrew Gaggin was magnanimous in his farewell of Marsh, saying that while the players are responsible for the team’s performance on the field, the coach was ultimately responsible for “results and performance”.
That’s true, but as a unit, the entire organisation is also responsible. They’re the ones charged with everything from recruitment through to player development.
It’s interesting to run a rule across the performance of the Tasmanian cricket team over the years. If you gauge success as developing players to perform at the highest level – Test cricket – then homegrown talent stands head and shoulders above the rest.
From former Test skipper Ricky Ponting, James Faulkner, David Boon and George Bailey – the best Tasmanian cricketers were all homegrown stars.
The last Tasmanian player to win national selection, Jackson Bird, was born in New South Wales. In fact, other than Faulkner and Bailey, we have struggled to produce a player capable of reaching those lofty heights on a regular basis.
Our current bad run of form isn’t new. Tasmania has finished either second last or last over the past four seasons, including sitting dead last this season with just one win from seven games.
The Tigers last match – a nine-wicket drubbing at the hands of Western Australia, featured just five Tasmanian-born players of the 11.
Whoever does take over the reins from Marsh is yet to be decided. Let’s hope whoever takes over from Marsh takes the time to develop Tasmanian talent and continue our rich history of producing world-class players.