Cricket Australia’s new chairman Earl Eddings has called for the national Test side to “play hard but play fair” cricket in the upcoming series against India.
India and Australia are scheduled to play a four-match Test series, the first of which gets underway on December 6. The current set of Australian players under head coach Justin Langer are expected to play with, “elite honesty.”
“Just play good, hard cricket. I don’t think people want us to be quiet but they want us to play with respect to the game, play hard but fair, and win well and lose better,” Eddings said, as quoted by the ‘Sydney Morning Herald.’
“The old adage is you don’t say much when you win and say even less when you lose. I think we have a great team, they are fine young men, and I think they will do that.
“My advice to the guys is to go out and play your natural game and try as hard as you can. That’s all Australians want to see,” he added.
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Eddings was made the permanent chairman of the Australian Cricket Board after his predecessor David Peever was forced to step down from the job after losing out on the backing of the key states of New South Wales and Victoria.
After he arrived on the scene came the scathing Longstaff report which slammed the “win at all costs” culture of Australian cricket on the wake of the ball-tampering scandal involving Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft.
Eddings wished the first test in Adelaide could be played under lights but the Indians have not given their consent to the idea.
“Day-night Test cricket is a way of the future. You don’t play it in all countries and at all venues. Certainly, in Adelaide, you have seen how successful that has been,” Eddings said.
“Unfortunately, we couldn’t get it done this year but we are going to have one in Brisbane. If you have the right Test at the right spot, day-night Test cricket is fantastic,” he said.
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