ONE of the hallmarks of any savvy organisation is the ability to generate positive headlines and anticipate any possible pitfalls in advance.
The opposite is what we have come to expect from Cricket Scotland, who yesterday performed a remarkable U-turn when they "clarified" the situation on Kyle Coetzer, who was omitted from his country's World T20 qualifying squad and then restored to the fold in the space of less than 48 hours.
The governing body did their best to show concern for Coetzer, claiming it was acting "in his best interest by not selecting him" and thereby "allowing him to concentrate on securing his future in county cricket". This rationale shouldn't be mocked out of hand. The 31-year-old Aberdonian might have provided a dazzling illustration of his talent when he pummelled ICC Full Members Bangladesh for a magnificent 156 - after amassing a fluent 71 against England - at the recent World Cup in New Zealand. But, such heroics are quickly forgotten on the less-than-magical mystery tour, which constitutes the daily grind of the English county circuit. And the reality is that Coetzer has struggled at Northants this year, just as Calum MacLeod has toiled at Durham.
That, however, doesn't justify the fashion in which this whole sorry mess unravelled. And it doesn't even answer the most basic question of why Cricket Scotland didn't spell out in their original announcement of the World T20 squad why Coetzer's name was absent. Yes, there might have been criticism of the decision, but at least they could have responded that they had spoken to the player and were primarily looking after his best interests.
Instead, we had the absurd scenario where Coetzer - a sharp-witted individual - told the world, via Twitter, he was "hugely disappointed" to have been dropped, that he still believed he had plenty to offer in all three formats of the game, and that he had hoped he could pass on his experience to the youngsters in the Scotland squad. This all emerged on Monday afternoon, within hours of Cricket Scotland's press release. And, understandably, his words were seized upon by a myriad media outlets.
Thus it was that, rather than focusing on some of the new names in the squad, the vast majority of the publicity revolved around somebody who wasn't there at all. And, quite probably, that script will be re-enacted this morning as the dust settles on Cricket Scotland's volte-face.
In the past, I've done some work for the administration and have no axe to grind against them. The assistant coach, Craig Wright, is a thoroughly decent individual and most of the players are hard-working characters with a determination to do themselves and their country proud. But that doesn't let CS off the hook in terms of how this issue has been handled. In plain terms, and given the fact the World T20 qualifying event is sanctioned by the ICC, the Scots needed to choose their best 15 and Coetzer, irrespective of how he was faring at county level, should have been an automatic pick. It isn't good enough for them to tell us they've met with Kyle in the last 24 hours, there is "no rift" between them and both parties now wish to move forward. That should all have been resolved before this matter ever entered the public domain.
In the grand scheme of things, some might say it's better late than never that Coetzer has been picked. The process might have occurred by a circuitous route, but there is no denying that his presence will boost the Scots in the T20 format.
And yet, this is a sport which aspires to be professional, and seeks positive media coverage. If it wants that, it really has get its act together and the sooner, the better.
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