Dads Army

[acker]

When England tour Australia for the 2006/2007 Ashes they will be confronted by the following toothless set of geriatrics formerly known as the Australian Cricket team

Ricky Ponting 32 yrs
Mathew Hayden 35 yrs
Justin Langer 36 yrs
Damien Martyn 35 yrs
Micheal Clarke 25 yrs
Simon Katich 31 yrs
Adam Gilchrist 35 yrs
Shane Warne 37 yrs
Jason Gillespie 31 yrs
Micheal Kasprowicz 34 yrs
Glenn McGrath 36 yrs

Brett Lee 30 yrs
Stuart McGill 34 yrs

An era is about to end , much like the extinction of the dinosoars.

[Occasional Fan]

I'll leave this one to Ernest and Beny to analyse. They have some pretty strong views on the effect of the aging process on the Australian cricket team.

[Seamer]

Yes, the era is about to end. But i doubt that England will be facing a lot of those guys. Don't write off the next gereration yet though. It is getting to the time when the selectors have to bite the bullet. Bringing in guys like Hodge or Katitch who are past 30 or close to it will not help address the problem. My concern is that the current Aussie selectors (Hohns, Border, Boon) all played to advanced age and as a result they will assume every one else can as well. They need to inject youth NOW while we are on top. Better to have short term pain and long term gain as apposed to the alternative

[Richie Benauds Love Child]

You dont want what happened to the West Indies, (ie no replacements for aging walsh ambrose etc so it was too late to blood any youngsters or even THINK about any before they retired,) to happen to the aussies. The rest of the world might, but you wont !!!

[Seamer]

Originally Posted by Richie Benauds Love Child

You dont want what happened to the West Indies, (ie no replacements for aging walsh ambrose etc so it was too late to blood any youngsters or even THINK about any before they retired,) to happen to the aussies. The rest of the world might, but you wont !!!

You are absolutely right. Aus has the depth of talent to ensure we don't fall as far though. The current selectors are thinking of short term gain ahead of long term pain. When this current crop of Aussies retire, i suspest the selectors will decide that it is no fun anymore and retire as well. Border and co will have a lot to answer for in a few years. Selfish buggers. They are a bit like an old person with a fortune that decides to spent the lot rather than invest it wisely for the future of their kids.

[Paoli]

Originally Posted by Seamer

Yes, the era is about to end. Bringing in guys like Hodge or Katitch who are past 30 or close to it will not help address the problem. My concern is that the current Aussie selectors all played to advanced age and as a result they will assume every one else can as well. They need to inject youth NOW while we are on top. Better to have short term pain and long term gain as apposed to the alternative

Thing is Seamer, we've got nobody who can step up to the plate. Which batsman, under 25 say, in the Pura Cup could step up. Cosgrove? No. Marsh? No. Jaques, possibly. But still, I don't think there will be another Michael Clarke.

[acker]

21 year old Steve Waugh was given a few years to be "blooded" , to a lesser extent Langer, Martyn, McGrath, Gillespie and Warne experienced a similar "blooding" in their early twenties at the expense of older players.
I also remember Alan Border demanding the selectors pick a 20 yo speedster Craig McDermott because he was (a ) Young and (b) Put fear into batsmen.
Why dont the selectors do the same anymore, is Trevor Hohns the problem ? should Steve Waugh be approached.

[Ernest]

Originally Posted by acker 40945

When England tour Australia for the 2006/2007 Ashes they will be confronted by the following toothless set of geriatrics formerly known as the Australian Cricket team

An era is about to end , much like the extinction of the dinosoars.

It would seam they have the collective age of a dinosore, not a lot of difference between 2005 and 2006/7 will be noted.

[Rachael]

Originally Posted by acker

21 year old Steve Waugh was given a few years to be "blooded" [...] Why dont the selectors do the same anymore

Because they are not that desperate: youth is an option of last resort for a side in real trouble.. which is why the West Indian side is full of kids who don't know what they are doing. Steve WAugh was virtually a passenger int he side until selectors eventually came to their senses and dropped him as he approached 30... and he might easily have never made it back.

We all know what happened when he WAS finally recalled.

That's not to say that someone special can't be fast-tracked if they show the aptitude.. Tendulkar was clearly ready in his teens.. and Botham exploded onto the scene with a bang at a young age... but in general, players mature with age.. and those countries with decent academies are able to get the players up to scratch BEFORE they hit test cricket.

In Pakistan it makes sense to blod players young: first class cricket sucks (I mean, really sucks) and there is not the coaching and development infrastructure to bring players on as there is in Australia and (thanks to Rod Marsh) England. Players get thrown into Test cricket because that's pretty much the only place they can go to learn.

Compare a few recent England stories.

Flintoff has been playing Test cricket for something like 6-7 years. He was "fast-tracked" as a batsman and occasional bowler... because the side was in desperate straights and couldn't manage with just 4 bowlers. What hapened? He sank, dismally. Finally started getting his bowling together after 4 years (but mostly ina very negative manner, defensive ODI style).. and finally got his huge batting problems (basic technical shortcomings plus dire judgement) sorted a year later.. when he also started developing as a genuine bowler.

Flintoff's just had his first worthwhile year in test cricket.. but so has Strauss.. who is a product of the Academy.. hit the team at 27 or so and hit the ground running. Unlike Flintoff, who was carried as a virtual passenger for 4 years in the hope that he'd eventually master his tradfe.. Strauss has come in and carried everyone else.

Lots of guys hit their peak after turning 30. Take Mark Richardson... a top 10 batsman in recent years, and arguably the best opener in world cricket... I don't think he even made an impression until he was nearly 30. Flintoff himself reckons it's going to take another 4-5 years for him to reach his best with the bat (he apparently reckons batsmen peak at 32-33-34).

I don't expect ALL this current crop of Aussie players to carry on into their dotage... but if you look at how Courtney Walsh was bowling in his late 30s (without question the best in his career, and STACKS of overs a day).. and you look at the longevity of players like Boycott, Gooch and Waugh... then surely it's reasonable to assume that out of an entire team... some should reach their late 30s.

Bottom line: kids should be made to earn their caps... and if they ain't as good as someone older... tough!

ps. Look at Hadlee's performances in his late 30s some time :-)

[acker]

Rachael

I dont think Steve Waugh was thrown into the Australian team through neccesity. Times were tough then but he earned his place as an up and coming future player who was performing well at domestic level.
It is ridiculous to compare Steve Waugh to Andrew Flintoff !!
Would you prefer England to bring back the likes of Alex Stewart, Phil Tuffnell, etc rather than move forward with the likes of Strauss ?
I would prefer Australia move forward with Michael Clarke and Shane Watson rather than persist with the decline of Darren Lehman and possibly coming up the decline of Mathew Hayden.
The biggest problem with Australian cricket currently is that players are being dragged out of the team kicking rather than retiring gracefully.