GCA unaffected
GEELONG Cricket Association president Barry McFarlane says the eight-week intervention period for Alex Willerton will not compromise the integrity of the competition’s top flight.
But McFarlane said the association would reach out to state and national cricket bodies to discuss whether eight weeks is too long in the future.
Willerton will be exempt from scrutiny for at least the next eight weeks as he undergoes remedial work to improve his bowling action.
McFarlane said the fact Willerton had not been noballed meant the competition was at minimal threat of being compromised in the lead-up towards finals.
“They haven’t called him, he’s only been named,” McFarlane said.
“That’s the current policy and what we’ll adhere to, so I would suggest unless anything untoward happens, that will be the end of it for the current season I’d say.
“I’m comfortable that everything is fine moving forward. All the clubs have got a copy of the policy, they know where we’re at, so there’s really no need for any more debate on it.”
But McFarlane believes the eight-week intervention period is excessive and said he would contact Cricket Victoria and Cricket Australia to discuss whether the policy needed refining in the future.
“It’s in the best interest of the player, which is fine — it’s the policy we’ve got and what we’ve got to work to — but I think there could be an abbreviated policy which could get a decision a bit quicker than this,” he said.
“But we’re stuck with it. We’ll be consulting Cricket Victoria and Cricket Australia to see whether this is a policy which should stay as it is or a way we can refine it a bit where decisions can be made a bit more quickly based on the benefit of himself and the opposing team I suppose.
“It was a policy that we’ve never ever considered before until this happened, to be honest.”