Tasmania are bottom of Sheffield Shield table with only one win and four defeats from seven matches © Getty Images
Daniel Marsh has been ousted as Tasmania coach, effective immediately, following an extended run of under-performance by the Tigers in the Sheffield Shield. He was fired less than a year after signing a new two-year contract with the state.
The decision to remove Marsh is the third major change at Cricket Tasmania in little more than a month, after the Sydney Thunder general manager Nick Cummins was appointed as the association’s new chief executive in January. The Hobart Hurricanes had also announced they would not be renewing the contract of their coach, Damien Wright, following the BBL.
“The players are the ones who perform on the field, but the Head Coach has ultimate responsibility for results and performance,” Andrew Gaggin, the Cricket Tasmania chairman, said. “On behalf of the Cricket Tasmania Board, management, staff, members and fans generally I would like to thank Dan for his period as coach and service to Tasmanian cricket.”
While Cummins does not officially begin until April, Marsh’s sacking is the signal for a significant change in direction at Bellerive Oval as the Tigers seek to regain the lofty perch they had ascended to in recent seasons, winning the Shield twice and contending on multiple other occasions.
Marsh had been captain of the state’s inaugural Shield title-winning team in 2007 and was assistant coach to Tim Coyle when the Tigers won their second six years later. However the Tigers have finished no better than fifth out of six teams in each Shield season since, and are presently comfortably bottom of the table after two losses on the resumption of the competition post-BBL.
The state has fared no better in the domestic limited-overs competition, failing to qualify for the finals during the same period. Sporadic appearances by George Bailey, the state captain, due to Australian commitments have been cited as a problem for the Tigers, in addition to the loss of a core of experienced players including Mark Cosgrove, Luke Butterworth, Ed Cowan and Ben Hilfenhaus.
Daniel Brettig is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo. @danbrettig
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Source: ESPN Crickinfo