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Time to “Chuck” Berry?

Nov 20, 2014
A frustrated Darren Berry in the players' enclosure during the disastrous final day against Victoria.

A frustrated Darren Berry in the players' enclosure during the disastrous final day against Victoria.

Over the three forms of the game, Sheffield Shield, Matador Cup and Big Bash League, South Australian cricket teams have won just three of their past 22 contests.

There has been a pair of draws among this, but that doesn’t change the fact the South Australia still cannot find a winning culture.

These raw figures suggest the Redbacks – and in the T20 competition, the Adelaide Strikers – have all underachieved.

The Redbacks are to the domestic cricket competition as the Melbourne Demons are to the AFL, with real success looking a long way off at the moment.

Each team has been coached by Darren ‘Chuck’ Berry and the buck must stop with the coach.

Berry’s Sheffield Shield coaching record with the Redbacks is modest at best, reading a total of eight wins, 10 draws and 15 losses since he began at the beginning of the 2011-12 campaign.That is a winning percentage of 24.2 per cent.

The Redbacks have won just one Sheffield Shield match since December 11, 2013: this summer’s season opener, on the back of a freakish effort by swing man Chadd Sayers.

Over the past seven Sheffield Shield games there have been four losses, a pair of draws and that Sayers-inspired victory.

The capitulations on the final day of last week’s encounter with New South Wales and on Wednesday against Victoria in the David Hookes Cup match, displayed how the brittle nature of the Redbacks batting line-up.

Watching the Victorians bat for seven sessions – starting on Monday before lunch and ending with a declaration an hour into the final day (Wednesday) at 7/607 – the South Australians seemed to me to lack of endeavour and vitality in the field, especially in the final session on Tuesday, when Peter Handscomb and Dan Christian demoralized the Redbacks.

The way Redbacks captain Johan Botha let Handscomb stroll to his 100 in the final over of the day displayed a real lack of that hard-headed winning attitude for which he is supposed to be renowned.

In the Berry era there has been the Twenty20 Big Bash Championship win in 2010/11 – the state’s first trophy since 1995/96 Shield win.

The following summer (2011/12) South Australia were crowned the One Day Cup Champions, drawing with Tasmania in a thrilling finish. The Redbacks were awarded the victory as they finished higher on the ladder.

However, in the One Day domestic competition over the past two seasons South Australia have two wins from 13 contests (one game was a ‘no’ result).

Since October 17, 2013, the Redbacks have enjoyed just one victory, and before the consolation win to finish the Matador Cup, there were seven successive losses.

Last year’s Big Bash saw the Strikers win two matches and suffer five defeats.

Micheal Klinger ensured the Strikers last win was on New Year’s Eve 2013, and they lost all five games in a row after this.

These statistics are damning and suggest that it is time for the coach to fall on his sword.

Sheffield Shield results in the Berry era
2014/15 (1 win, 0 draw, 2 losses)
2013/14 (3 wins, 5 draws, 2 losses)
2012/13 (4 wins, 1 draw, 5 losses)
2011/12 (0 win, 4 draws, 6 losses)

One day record in the past two seasons
Ryobi Cup 2013/14 series- (1 win, 5 losses)
Matador Cup 2014/15 series- (1 win, 5 losses, 1 no result)

 

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