New Delhi, Oct 31 (IANS) Cricket Australia was left surprised after the Australia men’s team coach Justin Langer mentioned the name of Adam Goodes, a former Australian rules football player, to the media as one of the people the cricket board and team management may consult over possible ways of denouncing racism through on-field messages during India’s tour of Australia.
Langer had also mentioned the name of journalist Stan Grant, who had written and partially narrated “The Australian Dream”, a film that explores the racism Goodes suffered during his playing days.
A report in the Sydney Morning Herald claimed, “CA is empathetic the pair became the subject of headlines. It said it had intended to address them privately and did not want unnecessary stress and burden placed on them. CA insiders were also surprised Langer publicly referred to Goodes and Grant.”
Australian broadcaster Tracey Holmes, who is Grant’s wife, also criticised Langer for mentioning Goodes’s name to the media without contacting the former Australian rules football player.
Langer had made the statement during a chat with the media on Friday morning.
“Is this story a little strange? Sounds like Adam Goodes is being asked to front the Australian cricket team to see if he can convince them whether or not there is merit in taking a stand against racism,” Holmes wrote on Twitter.
“These stories are well documented. It would be great if Justin rang Adam, but so far he’s got a mile of publicity out of the ‘idea’ without speaking to him,” she added.
Meanwhile on Friday night, Cricket Australia had held a virtual meeting with Australia’s limited-overs leadership – skipper Aaron Finch, pace bowler Pat Cummins, and Gavin Dovey to discuss the matter.
–IANS
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