Wellington: Former test captain Ken Rutherford believes there are plenty of differences that exist between New Zealand Cricket administration and its top players. He also reckons that controversial director of cricket John Buchanan should be held accountable for the growing chasm.
Rutherford`s criticism comes as the spotlight increasingly falls on Buchanan while he appears "missing in action" amid growing speculation he has been marginalised within NZC``s complex political machinations since the Ross Taylor captaincy saga blew open. “There seems to be a huge gulf that exists at the moment between the administration of New Zealand Cricket and what`s actually happening on the playing field,” Stuff.co.nz quoted Rutherford, as saying.
“That wasn`t always the case in the past. You had guys like Frank Cameron, who was convener of selectors and very close to the team. He understood the way the administration worked as well. [But] there seems to be a huge disconnect now between what is happening at the administration level and what might be happening on the playing field,” he added.
According to the report, Rutherford also took aim at the selection of the Black Caps Twenty20 and test sides named for the upcoming tour of the republic, saying the recent fallout over Taylor`s sacking as captain has created a "smokescreen" for a series of poor selection choices.
“What`s actually happened is this huge smokescreen around the political nature of things over the last week, and all the comings and goings about this sacking, very little attention has been paid to the team actually picked for South Africa,” he said. Rutherford was the last New Zealand test captain to win a test in South Africa when the Black Caps beat their hosts by 137 runs in Johannesburg in 1994, the report said.
ANI
First Published: Sunday, December 16, 2012, 13:08