Ian Healy's parting shot at victim of CA cleanout

Aussie cricket legend Ian Healy has taken aim at Cricket Australia for a mistake that led to the code losing its “eye for talent”.

As key members of the CA setup continue to depart the organisation, Healy took a parting shot at former high performance manager Pat Howard, saying as a result of his tenure that game had “lost its eye for talent”.

Speaking on Nine, the former Australia wicket keeper said it wasn’t a “good luck” to have a former rugby player as one of the codes top experts.

Asked if it was a problem, Healy said, “yes, definitely.”

“I never understood how that could ever be a good look, to put a rugby player (in charge).

“A rugby player, on top of our great experts. That’s the chairman of selectors, the Australian cricket coach and the Australian cricket captain, all answered to Pat Howard.

“How’s that going to ever be a good look? As it’s turned out, it hasn’t been.”

Healy argued Cricket Australia had to get back to basics with the way they judge upcoming talent.

“I think Pat has really run the roost there – and his department of science, strength and conditioning – way too often,” Healy said.

“They’re not cricketers. Cricket, they make it too tricky. They send out statistics on an innings where someone makes 160 not out, and how many K’s they’ve run and what speed they’ve run. Former cricketers sit back and say, ‘Well done – you’ve made 160’.

“It’s the understanding of performance. When someone used to come up to you and say, ‘How do I get into first grade?’ You’d say, ‘You make two hundreds in second grade and I’ll pick you in first grade’.

“That’s as simple as it should be and that’s when you’ve got cricket people looking at performers. Getting them inspired, enthusiastic and moving up.

“We based our selections too often on statistical performances of some, rather than the three hundreds they’d scored.”