The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Gilchrist criticises timing of NZ series

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Wednesday, Feb 21, 2007
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Gilchrist criticises timing of NZ series

Melbourne: Australian vice-captain Adam Gilchrist has questioned the scheduling of the Chappell-Hadlee series, saying that it was more of a hindrance than help to the team's World Cup campaign.

"I am going to be brutally honest here and say I don't think too many people wanted it on at all," Gilchrist said.

Hectic summer

"We have had a very hectic summer. The administrators have got a very difficult job trying to fit all these games in," Gilchrist was quoted as saying in The Age.

"New Zealand were really keen to play this series because it's in their country, they're getting three bumper crowds. They have not had a great deal of international cricket played over there in recent times. So they were keen for it," said Gilchrist, who is missing the three-match series.

"We didn't need this series at the moment, and it would have been nice to have that little bit of time for everyone to be at home freshening up and getting ready for the World Cup."

Defends coach

Gilchrist also defended coach John Buchanan, who has been blamed by critics for Australia's sudden form slump.

"The senior player group, the captain, the vice-captain, and all those guys that get a little bit of an input, they discussed it with the coach John Buchanan and the support staff, and pretty much agreed to the plan we had in progress and still have in progress," Gilchrist said.

"And to say that John Buchanan is solely responsible for our dip in form is I think uninformed, and I don't think that unless you're involved in that decision making process you'd really know what's going on," he said. — PTI

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