AUSTRALIAN CRICKET NEWS (TODAY) : 

 NEW AUSTRALIAN COACK QUIT TO TOP JOB:

SYDNEY - The names in the Australian cricket team aren't going to roll off the tongue so easily in the future and that goes for the new coach as well.

This week's appointment of the eminently qualified but low-profile Tim Nielsen created barely a ripple, the unveiling of the former South Australian wicketkeeper overshadowed by the Allan Border Medal that very night in Melbourne.

Quiet as it appeared, Nielsen's first day was still chaotic, and he hopes the progression into the job will run a little smoother than its announcement.

"It all happened so quickly, I had a phone call at 9.30am, had to get on a flight out of Brisbane at 10.30am, then we had to try to keep control of the three kids and then a press conference at 3.30pm," he said.

"It was chaos, basically."

Highly popular within the national side, Nielsen has been mostly anonymous outside it, with general character assessments limited to throwaway lines like "down to earth", "no nonsense" and "a cricketer's cricketer".

AUSTRALIAN CRICKET HISTORY :

Although prominent in both the AFL and NRL, Aborigines are not prominent in any state cricket team in Australia today. This lack of representation at the highest level is disappointing considering that the first Australian cricket team to tour England was comprised solely of Aborigines and performed so admirably, that they won world wide accolades.

The Aboriginal team was selected from Western Victoria and coached by the founder of Australian football, Tom Wills. In 1868, 14 players left for England and the demands placed upon them, were nothing short of horrendous. In a gruelling five month stay, they played  47 games and upon completion of each game, they also gave an exhibition of  'native sports', including boomerang and spear throwing. Admittedly, there were no Shane Warnes or Greg Ritchies in the team, but the fact the tour was completed with only one death and two players sent home suffering sever illness must be seen as an incredible feat of endurance. 

The results were also equally impressive. Despite the onerous schedule, having no history in the game and playing in a foreign culture, the team managed 14 wins, 14 losses and 19 draws. One team member Johnny Mullagh - bowled 1877 overs, 831 of them maidens, hit 2489 runs and took 245 wickets at an average of 10. Off the field, other team members consumed an impressive amount of alcohol that was not matched until the likes of David Boon and Rod Marsh toured England more than a century later.

On their departure Sporting Life wrote: ‘no eleven has in one season ever played so many matches so successfully - never playing less than two matches in each week, and frequently three, bearing an amount of fatigue that now seems incredible.’

Despite these beginnings, few Aborigines have followed in their footsteps. This is probably because cricket's establishment has traditionally been unwelcoming to anyone who didn't perceive England as the hall marks of respectable society. In the colonial era, test cricket was promoted as a civilising influence. Like Rugby Union, it came to symbolise the essence of English dignity. Until Kerry Packer's revolution in the 70s, the establishment cut down anyone who was outside the square either in temperament or in skin colour. 

The first Aborigine to suffer from this culture was Alec Henry. Alec represented Queensland in 1901 and was initially lauded as "perfectly civilised and in great command of the English language." A great fast bowler, in one pre-season match he took 8-14 which led to predictions that he would have a place in the Australian side against the visiting English. Unfortunately, an umpire judged that he was throwing and his place in the national team never eventuated. His protests fell on deaf ears and when his 'civilised' conduct appeared to falter, he was forcibly relocated from Brisbane on the charge of "defying authority."

 Another player who seemed destined for greatness only to be denied for dubious reasons was Jack Marsh. Born in 1874,  Marsh was a member of the Bundjalung people of northern NSW and southeast Queensland. Marsh burst onto the scene by leading the national bowling averages in his first season with NSW. Some batsmen, including the English cricket captain of the era, rated him the "world’s best bowler." However he was denied international honours when in 1902 the visiting English refused to play against him. Like Henry, he was later no-balled out of the game.

Another player with eyes on national honours was Eddie Gilbert. Although he bowled off only five shuffled paces, he did so at a sizzling speed. In a match between Queensland and the West Indies, Gilbert took 5 for 65 off 19 overs and 2 for 26 in the second innings. He also won national respect when he bowled Sir Donald Bradman for a rare duck in 1931. The Australian public called for him to be selected for a test against South Africa but like his predecessors, an umpire no-balled him for throwing. Unhappy, he protested however his refusal to heed the umpires decision only resulted in him being admitted to a mental asylum.

Although not popular with the establishment, in the 1960's it became apparent that black cricketers were popular with the Australian public. In what had become known as the Calypso Summer, Frank Worrels 1961 touring West Indian cricket breathed colour into the all white game. Although losing the series, 90,000 Australians lined the streets of Melbourne in a ticker tape parade biding the Windies farewell. 

In the 80s and early 90s the Windies' popularity has continued to grow to the extent that a large percentage of Australians chose to support the West Indian team over that of their home country. At the height of their power, the touring West Indian cricketers were sponsoring vibrant products aimed at the youth market such as KFC and rum.  Contrasted to the Windies, the rare advertising appearances of Australian players were limited to flogging products such as dandruff cures or hair replacement therapy.

Realising the need for colour, both Rugby Union and Cricket have made the recruitment of black athletes a priority. Union has adapted by buying black players from the ranks of Rugby League. For its part, cricket is promoting reconciliation matches between players of Aboriginal descent and a team chosen by the Australian Prime Minister. Captaining the Aboriginal team is Jason Gillespie who has now been officially recorded as the first Aborigine to play for Australia. Considering that Gillespie himself didn't realise that he had any Aboriginal ancestry until high school, his title as an Aboriginal is a little dubious. Never-the-less, the fact that the significance of his genetics are being exagerated demonstrates the enthusiasm that cricketing officials now have for building upon the black foundations that their predecessors have spent 100 years trying to destroy.