I'm a cricket fan so I was always going to like it, but I didn't love it. Far too often it was too close to The Office with Justin Langer as David Brent walking around spouting philosophies and talking about being a good bloke and giving speech after speech and basically trying to turn coaching cricket into coaching AFL. Good on him for exposing himself I guess - those poor players having to watch all that talking.
There is some decent access which is interesting - I loved every scene of a batsman throwing his bat across the dressing room after being dismissed (Shaun Marsh, Dave Warner, Aaron Finch).
Tim Paine and Finch come across as grown men. Steve Smith comes across as a talented child. Zampa and Stoinis are funny - I wish there had been more of them. Mitch Marsh seems like a lot of fun. Shaun Marsh seems like a nice guy. I came away with more respect for Khwaja. Travis Head seems sensible.
There's notable omissions. No Greg Chappell. No discussion of the favouritism Langer showed his pets. Very little talk about sandpapergate.
There's tantalising glimpses of a bigger story. David Saker tentatively offering some criticism (he would eventually resign). Trevor Hohns hanging around. The really, really, really large support staff - I mean what to do they all do? Langer asking for honest feedback from his staff - whose jobs depend on him don't they? Does performance manager Dene Hills ever run data on how Australia collapse when they have a number six who averages 30 with the bat.
Too much of it was like a stock doco - cutting from talking heads (including people like Gerard Whatley and Gideon Haigh) back to news footage, stock standard narrative.
I mean, I'll take it. I just wish it was better. I get things were off limits but even just letting the camera roll in the change rooms for longer periods would have been better. You get the feeling there were notes "let's not bore them" so they shoved in talking heads when sitting back and letting the action talk would have been better.
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