There is nothing quite like an ex cricketer

There is nothing quite like an ex cricketer.  Especially when they have also dabbled in a bit of coaching.  And even more so when they are no longer involved in the game.

Weekly wind-up artist Mark Reason is at it again, wading into the Ryder issue.  It is not one of his better works as it weave all over the place.  It also includes a throw-away shabby allegation that Hesson would like to get rid of Taylor.

But this is not about biting at any Reason troll bait, or even to jump into the Ryder debate, this is about the extraordinary quotes he managed to elicit out of John Wright and Glenn Turner.

There is probably no one less equipped to comment on Jesse Ryder than Wright.  This was the coach who rushed Ryder into the New Zealand T20 squad against South Africa after the player had said he was not match fit.  He even bought a plane ticket against Ryder’s will.

A week later he abused Ryder for being fat.  A few days after that he suspended Ryder for breaking the “drinking while injured” rule, even though no such rule existed.

He then veers off on a tangent saying “I’ve thrown down a few balls to the likes of Tendulkar and Laxman”.  Yes Wrighty, we do remember that VVS innings.

The hilarity doesn’t end there though; in fact Turner raises the bar even higher.  Apparently he doesn’t understand the “puritanical view on sport” being imposed by the current hierarchy.  This is the same Turner who adopted a famously authoritarian approach in his second stint in charge of the national side.

Remember that brief reign in the mid 90s?  Players were not allowed to roll up their jeans, voice opinions, grow their hair long or have stubble.  And he appointed a puppet captain to demoralise things further.  As Martin Crowe put it best: “and I played under Lee Germon, which was ridiculous”.

He says the mantra should be to “live and let live”.  The obvious reply to that is “Cairns and Parore”.  Presumably Turner said all this with a straight face too.

Being such a big summer we’re likely to get a bit of this over the next few months.  Just remember to think back to what the people making the silly comments got up to when in their day.