The Fall Guy

 

Yet again, poor Damien Martyn is 'it'. I wonder what sins the poor guy has committed in his life, that he keeps on getting made a scapegoat for Team Australia's collective foibles. He replaced Dean Jones in 1993, played quite well I thought, and was dumped for playing an 'irresponsible' stroke chasing a low total in Sydney, costing the Aussies the match. If you ask me if he merely doing then what most people advocate today; low totals are dicey to chase in the 4th innings and you get them by knocking them off as quickly as you can. 7 years in the wilderness is too big a punishment for that I think. His return to the Australian side, and his recent crucial performances on the subcontinent have meant that Mark Waugh has probably not been missed as much. He had been scoring like God before the Ashes began and to drop someone for not performing in one series just seems a tad harsh to me, especially considering the one or two indifferent decisions he received. I am a big fan of his and do hope he makes his way back quickly to where he belongs!