Tim Nielsen join Redbacks

Former Australia coach Tim Nielsen has exhausted no time finding new employment, with the 42-year-old selected to a development role with the South Australian Cricket Association.

Nielsen only announce on Tuesday that he would step down as national coach after the Argus review optional that his position be made vacant, meaning he would have to re-apply for the job.

He has return to the state where he made his name as a player, featuring in 101 matches for the Redbacks before assuming a supporter coaching role in 1999.

The Emerging Redbacks Program, which is an academy style set-up for rising talent, is a notion of SACA's Director of Cricket Jamie Cox, who feels Nielsen is the right person to bring the next generation of Redbacks up to the elite level.

"I have had a close organization with Tim during his time in charge of the Australian team and I have always greatly well-liked his energy and passion for coaching," Cox said.

"We are clearly pleased that the timing of our search for a Head Coach for the Emerging Redbacks Program has enabled such a high quality candidate to be attracted to the role."

Redbacks coach Darren Berry said Nielsen was an outstanding appointment and he looked forward to working with another former gloveman.

"Tim has clearly travelled the world and coached at the highest level, so to have him concerned is going to be another string to our coaching bow," Berry said.

"With Jeff Vaughan, Joe Dawes, myself and now Tim Nielsen we consider we have got the best coaching panel in first-class cricket in the country. I can't emphasise enough, how delighted I am that Tim has determined that this is the role that he'd like to take up."

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Dravid support Sachin on new ODI layout

Test colleague Rahul Dravid has backed Sachin Tendulkar's suggestion to refurbish the ODIs by splitting the format into four innings of 25 overs each.

"It is an attractive suggestion. I don't know why the ICC has discarded it (Tendulkar's suggestion via a letter to ICC), but it's a good idea that Sachin has given and is worth experiment," said India's batting foundation on the England tour, on the sidelines of a promotional event for 'Gillette' in Mumbai, Wednesday night.

"It has been try out in Australia (in domestic cricket) and the plus and minus point should be look into," he added.

Tendulkar had written a letter to the ICC to change the arrangement of the ODIs from two innings of 50 overs to four of 25 overs, like a Test match, but the world council's chief administrative, Haroon Lorgat, had rejected it.

"There is no need to change the format," Lorgat told journalists in Colombo on Wednesday.

"We did be given a written proposal from Sachin, but that was a long time back. I had spoken to him many times about it, the last one as recent as during the World Cup in April.

"The success of the contest showed that the 50-over format was in sound health and there was no need for dramatic changes," Lorgat added.

"The decision-making board meeting after the World Cup decided that the present format was doing well. That has not changed," Lorgat stressed.

Tendulkar had argue that four innings of 25 overs would be a fair way to balance the advantage gained by the team which won the toss in circumstances such as bad weather and sub-quality pitches, which historically had established that a match can virtually be determined by the toss of a coin.

Dravid also backed the Board for deciding to put pressure on the ICC for revising the contentious Umpire Decision Review System, of which he got the rough end of the stick in the Test and ODI rubbers in England.

"It's not set in stone. Anything linked with DRS is a work in progress. There are new challenges and questions about it. It's up to the member Boards (of the ICC) to ask whether things are better with it in place," said the 39-year-old Dravid.

Dravid, who was the lone batsman to show constantly superb form in hard conditions next to a top-class England pace attack in the four-match Test rubber that India lost 0-4, was also controversially given out throughout the 'Hot Spot' image system on at least three occasions, leading to big debates over DRS.

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Brad Haddin quit T20 internationals

Australia wicket-keeper Brad Haddin has announce his retirement from international Twenty20 cricket.

The 33-year-old Aussie has played 25 games for his country over the straight format, but has now determined to focus on Test and one-day cricket.

"I methodically enjoy Twenty20 cricket and have taken great pride from playing all three forms of the game for Australia," Haddin said in a statement.

“This decision has been made to extend my efficiency in these formats and give me further time to get ready for the demands of ODI and Test cricket. I remain particularly strong-minded to play cricket for Australia and believe this decision will help achieve this.

“I remain dedicated and very eager by my role as captain of the Sydney Sixers in the KFC Big Bash League and also with the Kolkata Night Riders in the Indian Premier League, but look forward to the periods of downtime all through the international season this decision will create,” Haddin added.

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