Stuntwalker's 22 minutes of terror

Nik crosses the Grand Canyon. Picture: Discovery Channel Source: news.com.au

NO net, no harness. Daredevil Nik Wallenda has just become the first man to walk across the Grand Canyon on a tightrope.

As his family watched on, the record-breaker walked 450m above the canyon rigged up with multiple cameras and microphones - without a harness. It what may seem like a strange move, he wore blue jeans to complete the stunt. His shoes were hand-made by his mother.

The craziest stunts ever.

The Discovery Channel broadcast the stunt with a 10-second delay this morning. Wallenda, a seventh generation member of the Flying Wallendas circus family, admitted a mishap would doubtless boost ratings.

Watch the amazing Grand Canyon walk.

Wallenda trained for the worst, and said that - unlike his great-grandfather Karl who grabbed vainly for the wire before falling to his death in 1978 aged 73 - he would be able to hold on if necessary.

"It's not like I just grab with my hands like people visualise. I wrap my legs round it, my hands round it, I hug that wire like a bear hug until help comes. I've got rescue teams that would be with me within a minute," he said.

Buffeted by strong winds he went down onto the wire twice in a stunt that took just 22 minutes to complete. Nearing the end he blew a kiss into the air, then started running towards his family and supporters.

"I wanna die in a bed next to my wife, at an old age over 100 years old. That's my dream," Wallenda told AFP. "I don't want to die performing."

Today, he lives another day.

LIVE BLOG: How it happened.

12pm: He's on his knees blowing a kiss. HE'S RUNNING. And he's done it!

11.57am: Nik's started thanking everyone he can think of. His dad has told him to pay attention.

11.55am: Still walking slowly Nik is ALMOST there. He's still praying.

11.51am: His sitting down. Whispering. Now he's UP. He's been on nearly 14 minutes now.

11.49am Nik is at the halfway point.

11.43am: Placing one foot slowly in front of the other Nik is being buffeted by winds. He's praying repeatedly saying "Praise you Jesus. Winds are way worse than I expected".

11.42am: No matter how comfy they are we can't understand WHY he is wearing jeans.

11.40am: He's gone down onto his knees. "I'm not liking it. Thank you Jesus." He's back up. And he's praying.

11.37am: Nik's first thoughts: "I'm excited I want to get going."

AND HE'S OFF. "That's a precarious spot. Oh my god. My shoes feel slippery. There is dust in this canyon. Praise god this is awesome."

11.30am: The shoes made with love by his mum are going on.

11.27am: FINALLY. Nik is in the helicopter on his way to the starting line. His wife is crying. "I pray that whoever watches this will be proud of him and never give up on a dream. This is everything, this is all he has been dreaming of since he was a little boy." He first stepped onto a wire at the age of 2.

11.22am: Nik is saying a quiet prayer with his family. The preacher is asking God to calm the winds.

11.02am: Nik will cross the canyon at a spot called Hell Hole Bend.

11am: Nik's still sitting in his trailer in his jeans and T-shirt. He's playing with his nephew.

10.59am Nik told Discovery Channel: "If I were to fall, I am dying, I am dead".

10.52am: In the last ten minutes 77.25km/h wind gusts have been recorded on the wire. Nik won't be able to wipe the dust off his eyes as he is walking.

10.46am: The engineer says he is very happy with the tension on the wire now. He says once Nik gets on the wire he will be happy because "it's all up to the kid". "He's ready."

10.34am: Nik says "I'm excited this is a dream come true." Nik has three children and a wife. He says he has decided to risk his life today because he is "carrying on a legacy".

10.30am: The sun is beginning to set over the Grand Canyon.

10.26am: Nik is saying a last prayer. Let's hope it really isn't his last prayer.

10.25am: Nik's dad Terry says: "I am proud of my son I am confident in his abilities, he's not foolish".

10.24am. Nik's mother makes all his tightrope walking shoes by hand. She says they are made "with love". Awwww.

10.23am: Engineers held a meeting with Nik last night concerned that the wire was losing tension.

10:20am: SEVEN members of Nik's family have died tightrope walking.

10.19am: It's currently 30 degrees with winds gusting at 56km/h

10.14am: Nik says his big concern is wind conditions and extreme heat in the desert.

10.13am: Here's what happened last time Nik walked a tightrope. He was the first person to walk a tightrope over Niagara Falls. That time he had safety equipment. This time he won't.

10.10am: At the moment, Nik is wearing a blue T-shirt and jeans. Yes, JEANS.

10.04am: Nik Wallenda is checking out the Grand Canyon, standing with his toes right on the edge.

###

23.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

When best friends divorce

Remember these? Picture: 10_things on Instagram Source: Instagram

BESTSELLING author Adele Parks thought she and her best friend of 20 years were inseparable - until she was dumped.

When my oldest friend, Karen, turned 40 last May, I found myself wondering how she'd celebrate her landmark birthday: a fun party, a cosy dinner or an indulgent holiday? I don't know. Nor do I know if she's married, where she lives or even if she has children, because we haven't spoken to one another for nine years.

Karen and I became close friends age 11; I remember it as though it was yesterday. We were on a bus, heading to France, for a school trip. Pretty, wise and witty, I loved Karen with an instinctive, instant intensity that only pre-teen girls can muster. Years passed, we shared the obsession of inappropriate crushes, the joy, uncertainty and mortification of first kisses, first loves and first break-ups. We giggled, grew and dreamed together, deliberated our futures and crammed for our exams.

I graduated a year before Karen and "killed time" by having a year out in Italy, waiting until we could move to London together, share a flat and look for work. It would be nice to say that in London we picked up our pre-college intimacy and once again became inseparable, but it turned out we had less in common than we used to.

Karen wanted to live south of the river, I preferred north; I secretly thought her new art-school friends were pretentious and she thought my new advertising friends were capitalist sell-outs. We shared a flat for a year, but chose to live separately after that. We still met up, though - in bars, restaurants, the cinema and theatre. But mostly we loved to hunker down over a cup of tea or a bottle of wine and natter.

Author Adele Parks. Picture: adeleparks.com Source: No Source

A decade flew by. We wrote to one another when I spent a couple of years in Botswana; I proudly watched Karen set up her own graphic design company; and she was an integral part of my wedding day. The year following my marriage was a hard one as I suffered bereavements among family and friends. Desolate with grief, I confided in Karen that I was seeing a counsellor. She encouraged me, and was never embarrassed or judgmental. The counselling led to my doing more writing and, ultimately, to a book deal for my debut novel Playing Away.

A CRUEL LETTER

Death made me value the people I did have even more, so I suggested to Karen that I take her to Paris to celebrate her 30th birthday. It was a fantastic trip and we giggled like schoolgirls, drank too much red wine and turned our hotel room into a makeshift spa.

So it was a devastating blow when, shortly after that trip, Karen wrote me a letter detailing why she didn't think we could be friends anymore. I shook as I read the letter; I felt as though someone had physically slapped me. I felt betrayed, hurt and - oddly - embarrassed.

It was a cruel letter. There were allegations of insensitivity, blame for miscommunication, charges of mean-spiritedness; a whole host of finger-pointing that always accompanies any break-up, some of which was totally absurd, some brutally accurate. It was the mix of truth and inaccuracy that destroyed me.

How was it possible that she had me so wrong and thought so badly of me, yet in other ways knew me so well? No-one other than Karen could have wounded me as deeply; 20 years of loyalty and history were detonated.

ASKING FOR ANSWERS

I called Karen as soon as I read the letter and asked why she couldn't have said these things to me. I'm a plain speaker and prefer things to be out in the open. I cried during that call, through shock or hurt. Karen said she'd wanted to be clear and careful; she'd spent hours drafting the letter.

Her biggest complaint was I'd "changed". I spent an hour explaining some of the miscommunications (I hadn't got drunk with her last time we were out because I was four weeks' pregnant, too early to tell a soul, not because I was being boring). "Oh," she said sorrowfully. Suddenly, I realised that there was no point in taking each accusation and addressing it, nor was there any point in hurling my own grievances at her. I realised we were breaking up; irrevocably, irretrievably.

TIME TO GRIEVE

I cried for days, grieving for her, for the loss of all the jokes and memories that only we shared. I thought about calling her and saying the whole episode was silly, suggesting we put it behind us, but I couldn't bring myself to do so. After what had happened, I just couldn't see a future for us.

It took me a long time to accept that while Karen's break-up was brutal, it was honest; we'd grown up, we'd grown apart. My grief counsellor had helped me accept that there's a time to be angry, to grieve and then to let go of the people who leave you through death. I applied the same reasoning to my relationship with Karen, even though it was hard accepting that we'd left one another's lives through choice. Initially I couldn't think about her. It was too painful. I threw the letter away; re-reading it was an act of masochism. I kept busy with my pregnancy and new career.

For a time, my broken friendship made me wary of completely trusting. I was cautious about confiding in other friends, how often I saw them and how much I revealed. Subsequently, I went through my divorce and then I realised I had a bunch of fabulous friends huddled closely around me. One of those friends I've known almost as long as I've known Karen. This is comforting because it shows some friendships do last the distance. By the time I finally fell in love again and remarried, I'd begun to have a much deeper understanding that there's a time and place for everything, including friendships, and even marriages.

I've learnt that even though some things are not eternal, they can still be astoundingly important. My relationship with Karen is a bit like a first love: bittersweet. When I think of her, I smile at the silly, youthful stuff we did. Yet, there's a shard of grief, a fragment of regret that we couldn't manage to grow up and old together.

Adele Parks' latest book. Picture: adeleparks.com Source: No Source

Read more about relationships at bodyandsoul.com.au. Adele Parks's latest novel is Love Lies (Penguin).

Comments on this story have now been closed.

23.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

MP wants leadership ballot

Labore party faces yet another dispiriting opinion poll on the third anniversary of Kevin Rudd's removal from the prime ministership. Source: News Limited

A KEY Labor backbencher has called for a leadership ballot this week as the best way to resolve party tensions as Julia Gillard maintains she still has the strong support of her caucus.

NSW MP Stephen Jones this morning said the leadership tensions between Ms Gillard and Kevin Rudd had to be put to bed once and for all.

"I think it has to be resolved and it has to be resolved by the end of the week," Mr Jones - a Rudd backer - said.

"Probably the best way to resolve it is a ballot."

The call opens the way for a leadership challenge to occur via a special caucus meeting called via a petition with the signatures of 30 MPs.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard insists she has the support of the Caucus and said the leadership question was settled back in March. Picture: Kym Smith

A defiant Ms Gillard this morning said she "absolutely" had the support of Caucus.

At a brief doorstop at Parliament House, Ms Gillard was asked what her message was to MPs.

"We settled all of this in March," she said.

She said she had other things on her mind this week.

"The focus for me this week is on our schools reforms, which are in the Senate," she said.

"What I want to leave this week having achieved is better schools for our nation, which means a better future for our nation.

"That will be my focus."

PM Julia Gillard is adamant that the leadership issues were settled in March.

Renewed speculation over the Labor leadership comes as the party faces yet another dispiriting opinion poll on the third anniversary of Kevin Rudd's removal from the prime ministership.

The latest Newspoll, published in The Australian on Monday, shows Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has opened his biggest lead ever over Ms Gillard as preferred prime minister.

As well, the poll shows Labor heading for a massive election defeat with the prospect of its lower house representation being halved in the next parliament.

Greg Combet has today said the leadership issue has to be resolved this week for the good of the party.

The Climate Change Minister said the party could not go to the election with such disunity.

Greg Combet says the leadership issue needs to be resolved this week for the good of the party. Picture: Gary Ramage

"We have got to put this to bed because we can't go to an election with this speculation around," Mr Combet told ABC radio.

The Australian Newpoll reveals another bad poll for the PM with Labor's primary vote slipping below 30%.

Mr Combet said Julia Gillard was not going to step aside and Mr Rudd needed to decide if he would challenge or not.

"It is imperative the Labor Party comes out of this week unified and we are able to go to an election with clear air to sell our message," he said.

"Just imagine the TV packages every night during the election campaign with three people vying for the prime ministership ... that would just not be good."

Mr Combet said the Labor Party needed to relearn how to be disciplined.

Asked if Julia Gillard was a good prime minister he said: "She is a good person to work with".

Senior Labor figure Craig Emerson has also warned his colleagues they cannot leave the final week of parliament as a disunited party.

Dr Emerson insists Labor should stick with Ms Gillard.

"We must be united behind prime minister Gillard," he told ABC radio.

"We cannot go to an election as disunited party. We cannot leave this week as a disunited party."

Dr Emerson said the party's leadership should have been settled a long time ago and called for internal destabilisation to end.

Arriving at Canberra airport this morning Labor Queensland backbencher Graham Perrett said this morning the leadership issue had been resolved and Ms Gillard would remain Prime Minister.

Asked about Labor's worsening position in the polls he said: "I don't give a rats about polls".

Former Queensland premier Peter Beattie, who called on Bob Hawke to solve the leadership tensions between Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd, said Labor would lose the election unless the issue was resolved.

"Like any member of the Labor Party I want to see it have a realistic chance of winning the next election," Mr Beattie said.

"The bottom line is you can't win an election if you are divided."

ACTU secretary Dave Oliver said the union movement was behind Ms Gillard "and we're not going to get involved in the leadership issue".

"It's not appropriate for the ACTU to get involved in it.

"It's a matter for the Labor Party."

But Sally McManus, secretary of the NSW and ACT branch of the Australian Services Union, has sought the feedback from her members.

"As a union who is affiliated to the ALP I want to ensure our members' views are reflected in any discussions I have on this issue," Ms McManus said on Twitter.

"We are committed to being a highly democratic union and we will seek the views of members directly on important issues, as we did on the issue of marriage equality."

The ASU's most senior figure in federal parliament is cabinet minister Brendan O'Connor, a former assistant national secretary. The union is represented on the ALP national executive by assistant national secretary Linda White.

Tony Abbott has today rallied his troops and attacked Labor's leadership woes at a meeting of the Coalition's shadow cabinet.

Senior coalition frontbenchers met in Canberra earlier today for the last shadow cabinet meeting in Parliament House before the September 14 election.

Mr Abbott thanked his colleagues for their work and said the upcoming election would be the most important "in a generation".

"Let me just say how proud I am of all of you," Mr Abbott said.

"I know that all of you will make outstanding ministers in a government, should we get to form a government after the 14th of September."

Voters will look back on the Gillard government as a "bad dream", Mr Abbott said.

"I am confident that, should we form a government, within quite a short space of time people will look back on these days and they will say it was a bad dream that has passed in the night," Mr Abbott said.

Liberal Party pamphlets are also targeting Gillard loyalists, with families Minister Jenny Macklin the subject of a new advertising campaign in her electorate of Jagajaga.

"Julia Gillard is still in power because of Jenny Macklin's backing," the flyer states.

The Greens have also weighed into the latest Labor leadership crisis, arguing Australians should go to the polls if Kevin Rudd wrestles the job of prime minister from Julia Gillard this week.

Greens MP Adam Bandt said his party wouldn't rule out going to the Governor-General and asking for an election if Mr Rudd took over.

He said Labor factional leaders should not assume they could "do whatever they liked with the prime ministership" and others would fall into line.

"I think if there's another leadership change there would be a real question as to whether we ought to go to an early election," Mr Bandt said.

"Other members of the crossbench have said that they believe an early election would be in order and that's certainly something, from the Greens perspective, that we'd be considering."

That would be especially the case if Mr Rudd changed the party's stance on climate change, he said.

Mr Bandt said ordinary Australians were "over it" when it came to the leadership speculation.

Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister Andrew Leigh dismissed the possibility of a challenge, saying Parliament House was filled with "petty gossip".

He said Ms Gillard was an "extraordinarily gutsy lady" and would still be leader at the end of the week.

He said he believed Mr Rudd when he said there were no circumstances in which he would return to the job.

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23.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Stunt walker's 22 minutes of terror

Nik crosses the Grand Canyon. Picture: Discovery Channel Source: news.com.au

NO net, no harness. Daredevil Nik Wallenda has just become the first man to walk across the Grand Canyon on a tightrope.

As his family watched on, the record-breaker walked 450m above the canyon rigged up with multiple cameras and microphones - without a harness. It what may seem like a strange move, he wore blue jeans to complete the stunt. His shoes were hand-made by his mother.

The craziest stunts ever.

The Discovery Channel broadcast the stunt with a 10-second delay this morning. Wallenda, a seventh generation member of the Flying Wallendas circus family, admitted a mishap would doubtless boost ratings.

Watch the amazing Grand Canyon walk.

Wallenda trained for the worst, and said that - unlike his great-grandfather Karl who grabbed vainly for the wire before falling to his death in 1978 aged 73 - he would be able to hold on if necessary.

"It's not like I just grab with my hands like people visualise. I wrap my legs round it, my hands round it, I hug that wire like a bear hug until help comes. I've got rescue teams that would be with me within a minute," he said.

Buffeted by strong winds he went down onto the wire twice in a stunt that took just 22 minutes to complete. Nearing the end he blew a kiss into the air, then started running towards his family and supporters.

"I wanna die in a bed next to my wife, at an old age over 100 years old. That's my dream," Wallenda told AFP. "I don't want to die performing."

Today, he lives another day.

LIVE BLOG: How it happened.

12pm: He's on his knees blowing a kiss. HE'S RUNNING. And he's done it!

11.57am: Nik's started thanking everyone he can think of. His dad has told him to pay attention.

11.55am: Still walking slowly Nik is ALMOST there. He's still praying.

11.51am: His sitting down. Whispering. Now he's UP. He's been on nearly 14 minutes now.

11.49am Nik is at the halfway point.

11.43am: Placing one foot slowly in front of the other Nik is being buffeted by winds. He's praying repeatedly saying "Praise you Jesus. Winds are way worse than I expected".

11.42am: No matter how comfy they are we can't understand WHY he is wearing jeans.

11.40am: He's gone down onto his knees. "I'm not liking it. Thank you Jesus." He's back up. And he's praying.

11.37am: Nik's first thoughts: "I'm excited I want to get going."

AND HE'S OFF. "That's a precarious spot. Oh my god. My shoes feel slippery. There is dust in this canyon. Praise god this is awesome."

11.30am: The shoes made with love by his mum are going on.

11.27am: FINALLY. Nik is in the helicopter on his way to the starting line. His wife is crying. "I pray that whoever watches this will be proud of him and never give up on a dream. This is everything, this is all he has been dreaming of since he was a little boy." He first stepped onto a wire at the age of 2.

11.22am: Nik is saying a quiet prayer with his family. The preacher is asking God to calm the winds.

11.02am: Nik will cross the canyon at a spot called Hell Hole Bend.

11am: Nik's still sitting in his trailer in his jeans and T-shirt. He's playing with his nephew.

10.59am Nik told Discovery Channel: "If I were to fall, I am dying, I am dead".

10.52am: In the last ten minutes 77.25km/h wind gusts have been recorded on the wire. Nik won't be able to wipe the dust off his eyes as he is walking.

10.46am: The engineer says he is very happy with the tension on the wire now. He says once Nik gets on the wire he will be happy because "it's all up to the kid". "He's ready."

10.34am: Nik says "I'm excited this is a dream come true." Nik has three children and a wife. He says he has decided to risk his life today because he is "carrying on a legacy".

10.30am: The sun is beginning to set over the Grand Canyon.

10.26am: Nik is saying a last prayer. Let's hope it really isn't his last prayer.

10.25am: Nik's dad Terry says: "I am proud of my son I am confident in his abilities, he's not foolish".

10.24am. Nik's mother makes all his tightrope walking shoes by hand. She says they are made "with love". Awwww.

10.23am: Engineers held a meeting with Nik last night concerned that the wire was losing tension.

10:20am: SEVEN members of Nik's family have died tightrope walking.

10.19am: It's currently 30 degrees with winds gusting at 56km/h

10.14am: Nik says his big concern is wind conditions and extreme heat in the desert.

10.13am: Here's what happened last time Nik walked a tightrope. He was the first person to walk a tightrope over Niagara Falls. That time he had safety equipment. This time he won't.

10.10am: At the moment, Nik is wearing a blue T-shirt and jeans. Yes, JEANS.

10.04am: Nik Wallenda is checking out the Grand Canyon, standing with his toes right on the edge.

###

23.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Non-organic veggie burger 'dirty'

Wellness Warrior Jessica Ainscough tucks into a Big Burger from Manna Haven Cafe in Byron Bay. Image: Instagram. Source: Supplied

AN holistic wellness coach who says she felt "dirty" after eating a non-organic veggie burger at a Byron Bay cafe has apologised after an online "rant" about the food she was served.

'Wellness warrior' Jessica Ainscough vented on her blog after eating a burger she believed was 100 per cent organic, only to later discover it was 'not totally' chemical-free.

The holistic health coach, who was in Byron Bay last week, follows a strict organic diet after overcoming cancer without using modern medicine.

In a June 18 post titled 'BEWARE OF ORGANIC CAFES THAT LIE TO US', Ms Ainscough said she was 'pissed off' that Manna Haven Cafe falsely claimed to be 'vegan, raw and organic'.

The 26-year-old said she had initially been excited to find somewhere 'safe' for lunch and ordered the veggie Burger thinking it was organic.

The not-for-profit cafe's menu describes its Big Burger as being 'cancer fighting rather than cancer causing' and vegan, low glycaemic index and a superfood.

After posting a picture on Instagram of herself tucking into the burger, a follower tipped her off that the ingredients may not have been completely organic.

Ms Ainscough called the cafe and was told that 'not all of it' was.

"I felt dirty. I felt like I needed to give my insides about 10 showers. I was so shocked that I just hung up the phone, but I wish I'd told her that since her 'cancer fighting' burger contains pesticides it is actually cancer causing," she wrote.

"If a cafe claims to be organic and charge prices that reflect this, we should be able to trust that what they're serving us is just that. Otherwise, it's false advertising and on par with green washing."

In comments posted on Ms Ainscough's blog, her followers overwhelmingly supported her stance but some urged her to be a `wellness warrior' not a 'wellness worrier'.

"The amount of stress this situation has caused you (worrying) is likely to cause more havoc on your body than the fact that your lettuce on the bun was not 100% organic," posted Tess.

Manna Haven, which is managed by volunteers and donates its profit to charity, responded to the online criticism with one of the cafe's founders Anita Carvill saying she was shocked by the backlash.

"There was nowhere that said the burger was 100 per cent organic so I'm not sure how she got that impression," Ms Carvill said.

"The options on the sign are just options, there is no false advertising.

"I think it is important before people get too upset to ensure they have not made a mistake in assuming or misunderstanding things. At Manna menu options are dependent on produced sourced and cooked on the day. For any inconvenience we may have caused we apologise."

The popular cafe, which is Ranked #2 of 96 restaurants in Byron Bay, also apologised to Ms Aincough personally for the 'silly misunderstand' and is spending thousands of dollars on rebranding as a result.

Sunshine Coast writer Ms Ainscough is a cancer success story after being told four years ago that her entire left arm was riddled with a rare form of cancer, epithelioid sarcoma, and that it had to be amputated.

Instead of accepting her doctor's solution she radicalized her diet and 'systematically detoxified my body'.

"I'm living proof that doctors aren't always right, that wellness starts in your mind, and that YOU are the most important authority on your own health &body," her blog says.

Ms Ainscough has also since apologised, saying her original "rant" was "a bit harsh".

"I want to publicly apologise for any harm that my blog may have caused your business. Although I still believe that the loose use of the word "organic" is a massive issue in the health world, I can see with hindsight that my rant could have been handled better," she wrote yesterday.

She says she has learnt from her burger experience and will now always ask more questions when ordering meals.

"I feel like it's my responsibility to share the mistake I made with those who may make the same one," she said.

"I know that not everyone cares whether they eat organic food 100% of the time, but for some of us we don't have the luxury of being complacent. Organic food is our medicine, and if we can't eat organic we go without.

"The word 'organic' is the green light that tells us it's safe to eat. It doesn't matter if some of the ingredients are organic - if they're mixed with conventional ingredients the whole dish is rendered poisonous to those of us who have to be so pedantic for the sake of our health and lives."

Join the conversation on Twitter @itsKShort @newscomauHQ @JessAinscough

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23.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Pup quits as selector; Arthur axed

Robert "Crash" Craddock slams Australia's players and administrators following the sacking of Mickey Arthur.

UPDATE: DARREN Lehmann has been confirmed as Australia's new cricket coach while CEO James Sutherland explained why Mickey Arthur was sacked.

Arthur was dumped after a meeting with chief executive James Sutherland and high performance manager Pat Howard in Bristol last night, where Australia A beat Gloucester.

Lehmann is currently in England coaching Australia A and is the current Queensland coach. He confirmed tonight at a Cricket Australia press conference in Bristol he has signed a two-year deal, starting immediately.

The first Ashes Test is just 16 days away.

CA CEO James Sutherland said despite the unfortunate timing, it was a decision deemed necessary with such a big series fast approaching.

Revisit some highlights of Darren 'Boof' Lehmann's on-field career.

"The timing is far from ideal but we didn't feel we could sit back and hope matters would change without addressing issues critical to a high performing team culture,'' Sutherland said of Arthur's sacking.

"It obviously isn't the type of change we want to make (16 days) out from the Ashes commencing but we believe a change is needed.
 

Arthur was appointed in November 2011 and since that time Australia has struggled with inconsistent performances and numerous off-field issues. Australia has won 10 of 19 Tests, 18 of 39 ODIs and 7 of 16 T20s with Arthur at the helm.

Sutherland said those failures were at the heart of the decision.
 

Michael Clarke has stepped down as a selector, while Mickey Arthur has been sacked as coach on a dramatic day in Australian cricket.

"This has been a difficult decision to make but one that we feel is necessary,'' he said.
 

"We are looking to establish a high performing Australian cricket team that is consistent over a period of time. To achieve that, we need all the parts moving in the right direction. Recent on-field results have been too inconsistent.
 

"Discipline, consistency of behaviour and accountability for performance are all key ingredients that need to improve. And we see that the head coach is ultimately responsible for that.''

Captain Michael Clarke, who has resigned as a selector, said at the press conference tonight he was shocked upon hearing Arthur had been cut but said his thoughts then quickly moved to maintaining focus on the team's performance.

"This is a decision made by Cricket Australia, it had nothing to do with the players or nothing to do with me personally.

He said there was no excuse for poor behaviour in the the team despite the recent loss of senior players Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey.

Lehmann said he was excited to be taking over and that there wouldn't be any ongoing problems with the squad "off the field or on the field".

"It's important to talk about the game - whether that's with a beer or a Diet Coke - I don't mind, " he said.

Queensland Bulls coach Darren Lehmann will take over the reins of the Australian team. Picture: Glenn Barnes

As part of a review of Australian cricket two years ago, the coach and captain were granted selection powers.
But Clarke has repeatedly come under pressure to step aside from the role.

News Limited has written on several occasions that Clarke's selection role was causing to much angst. One one hand he had to be a confidant to his players yet on another he had to sit in judgement on them at the selection table.

And Clarke's relationship with some of his senior players - particularly his deputy Shane Watson - has been rocky for some time.

The first Test of the Ashes series begins on July 10 at Trent Bridge.

Players to blame for Arthur's demise

Arthur is the victim of Australia's poor performance on the field and lack of discipline off it.

His dismissal continues a tumultuous year for Australia.

Why Boof is right man for the job

The Test team lost 4-0 in India and failed to win a match in the recent Champions Trophy in England.

Just as bad was the homework fiasco in India, when four players including vice-captain Shane Watson were suspended for the third Test in Mohali.

How the world is reacting to Mickey's sacking

Watson returned home for the birth of his first child but was then remarkably appointed Australia's 44th Test captain when Michael Clarke was unable to play the last Test with ongoing back problems.

Following the Test Watson, 32, was forced to resign as vice-captain with Brad Haddin, 35, appointed Clarke's deputy for the Ashes tour.

Steve Smith added to Ashes squad

During the past month or so David Warner set what must be a record after he was twice charged with bringing the game into disrepute. He pleaded guilty to both charges.

The first charge was for an expletive-laden twitter rant against two cricket writers during the IPL and the second was for punching England's Joe Root in a Birmingham bar at 2.30am, after Australia had lost its Champions Trophy match to England.

Mickey Arthur's career record

Warner was fined $5750 for the first offence and was suspended for a month and fined $11,500 for hitting Root.

Sutherland was furious over Warner's attack on Root and equally angry that five other Australian players were out late drinking with the old enemy after losing to the team it needs to beat to regain the Ashes.

Warner will be a better man: Ponting

During the latter stages of the IPL Warner told Arthur and other CA officials that he was not drinking as he prepared for the Ashes but CA has since found this is not the case.

 - Addiitional reporting by Ben Dorries

23.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Pup quits as selector; Arthur axed

Robert "Crash" Craddock slams Australia's players and administrators following the sacking of Mickey Arthur.

UPDATE: DARREN Lehmann has been confirmed as Australia's new cricket coach while CEO James Sutherland explained why Mickey Arthur was sacked.

Arthur was dumped after a meeting with chief executive James Sutherland and high performance manager Pat Howard in Bristol last night, where Australia A beat Gloucester.

Lehmann is currently in England coaching Australia A and is the current Queensland coach. He confirmed tonight at a Cricket Australia press conference in Bristol he has signed a two-year deal, starting immediately.

The first Ashes Test is just 16 days away.

CA CEO James Sutherland said despite the unfortunate timing, it was a decision deemed necessary with such a big series fast approaching.

Revisit some highlights of Darren 'Boof' Lehmann's on-field career.

"The timing is far from ideal but we didn't feel we could sit back and hope matters would change without addressing issues critical to a high performing team culture,'' Sutherland said of Arthur's sacking.

"It obviously isn't the type of change we want to make (16 days) out from the Ashes commencing but we believe a change is needed.
 

Arthur was appointed in November 2011 and since that time Australia has struggled with inconsistent performances and numerous off-field issues. Australia has won 10 of 19 Tests, 18 of 39 ODIs and 7 of 16 T20s with Arthur at the helm.

Sutherland said those failures were at the heart of the decision.
 

Michael Clarke has stepped down as a selector, while Mickey Arthur has been sacked as coach on a dramatic day in Australian cricket.

"This has been a difficult decision to make but one that we feel is necessary,'' he said.
 

"We are looking to establish a high performing Australian cricket team that is consistent over a period of time. To achieve that, we need all the parts moving in the right direction. Recent on-field results have been too inconsistent.
 

"Discipline, consistency of behaviour and accountability for performance are all key ingredients that need to improve. And we see that the head coach is ultimately responsible for that.''

Captain Michael Clarke, who has resigned as a selector, said at the press conference tonight he was shocked upon hearing Arthur had been cut but said his thoughts then quickly moved to maintaining focus on the team's performance.

"This is a decision made by Cricket Australia, it had nothing to do with the players or nothing to do with me personally.

He said there was no excuse for poor behaviour in the the team despite the recent loss of senior players Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey.

Lehmann said he was excited to be taking over and that there wouldn't be any ongoing problems with the squad "off the field or on the field".

"It's important to talk about the game - whether that's with a beer or a Diet Coke - I don't mind, " he said.

Queensland Bulls coach Darren Lehmann will take over the reins of the Australian team. Picture: Glenn Barnes

As part of a review of Australian cricket two years ago, the coach and captain were granted selection powers.
But Clarke has repeatedly come under pressure to step aside from the role.

News Limited has written on several occasions that Clarke's selection role was causing to much angst. One one hand he had to be a confidant to his players yet on another he had to sit in judgement on them at the selection table.

And Clarke's relationship with some of his senior players - particularly his deputy Shane Watson - has been rocky for some time.

The first Test of the Ashes series begins on July 10 at Trent Bridge.

Players to blame for Arthur's demise

Arthur is the victim of Australia's poor performance on the field and lack of discipline off it.

His dismissal continues a tumultuous year for Australia.

Why Boof is right man for the job

The Test team lost 4-0 in India and failed to win a match in the recent Champions Trophy in England.

Just as bad was the homework fiasco in India, when four players including vice-captain Shane Watson were suspended for the third Test in Mohali.

How the world is reacting to Mickey's sacking

Watson returned home for the birth of his first child but was then remarkably appointed Australia's 44th Test captain when Michael Clarke was unable to play the last Test with ongoing back problems.

Following the Test Watson, 32, was forced to resign as vice-captain with Brad Haddin, 35, appointed Clarke's deputy for the Ashes tour.

Steve Smith added to Ashes squad

During the past month or so David Warner set what must be a record after he was twice charged with bringing the game into disrepute. He pleaded guilty to both charges.

The first charge was for an expletive-laden twitter rant against two cricket writers during the IPL and the second was for punching England's Joe Root in a Birmingham bar at 2.30am, after Australia had lost its Champions Trophy match to England.

Mickey Arthur's career record

Warner was fined $5750 for the first offence and was suspended for a month and fined $11,500 for hitting Root.

Sutherland was furious over Warner's attack on Root and equally angry that five other Australian players were out late drinking with the old enemy after losing to the team it needs to beat to regain the Ashes.

Warner will be a better man: Ponting

During the latter stages of the IPL Warner told Arthur and other CA officials that he was not drinking as he prepared for the Ashes but CA has since found this is not the case.

 - Addiitional reporting by Ben Dorries

23.18 | 0 komentar | Read More