"I'm just shattered; that’s like sticking a knife straight in my back" - James Faulkner slams Hobart Hurricanes management and head coach
Australia all-rounder James Faulkner has come out bashing Hobart Hurricanes management for coming up with a “disrespectful” offer to play in the Big Bash League (BBL). He was shattered by how the negotiations went with the team management and the amount that they offered for signing the contract.
The Tasmanian signed a three-year deal with the Hobart Hurricanes ahead of the 2018/19 season at the BBL. The negotiations broke down at the time of renewal and it has left the all-rounder stranded without a contract in the BBL.
Speaking on SEN Hobart’s Jack and Painey, James Faulkner said his manager was too embarrassed to bring him the offer made by the Hurricanes.
“I'm just shattered at how it's all played out. They brought an initial offer to my manager… he was embarrassed to bring it (to me). I found that pretty hard to take when I first heard it on the phone - found it pretty disrespectful for what I've given to Tasmanian cricket. I've put my heart and soul into it.”
The 31-year-old pointed out that it wasn’t about wanting more money, but he did not feel respected with the kind of offer.
“They did offer a couple of (more) times. It was the initial offer and not feeling wanted - I know what I'm worth. I didn't want more, I just wanted what was fair and maybe a little less. It comes back to that first offer - I didn’t feel respected as a player or as a person or a Tasmanian.” James Faulkner added.
“That’s like sticking a knife straight in my back” – James Faulkner
James Faulkner hit out at the head coach of the Hobart Hurricanes, Adam Griffith, for stating that the team performed well enough without him. Griffith acted as if he did not care about his exclusion from the side, reckons Faulkner.
“When you watch the news, and you see who I thought was one of my mates, as well as the head coach, say the bowling group and the team have performed well without me and that we need to move on and that he didn't really care - that's like sticking a knife straight in my back.”
Faulkner went on to slam the head coach for using his injury against him and said he put his body on the line last season for the franchise.
“They used injury against me the whole time which is quite disappointing. Last season I had an eight-week hamstring and I tried to come back in three-and-a-half weeks and put my body on the line to come back so we had a shot at making finals. For the coach to use that against me I felt was wrong,” James Faulkner signed off.
James Faulkner was part of the Australian squad that won the 2015 Men’s Cricket World Cup. He has also represented multiple teams in the coveted Indian Premier League (IPL) over the years.