if the selectors need any further prompting, have a look at Hayden’s track record in England – not great – and Jacques has scored a mountain of county runs.

Agree with Ben pointing out the simialrities to the Wallabies. We use to get the same guff from Gregan …I will decide when George Gregan calls it a day – not the selectors” built on a sense of entitlement and, lets face it, guaranteed healthy income, far more than one can garner fornm the coffee shops or cook books. Although in both players cases, they have the big money retiremnt plans – Toulouse and Japan for Gregan, IPL for Hayden – to set them and their families up for life post playing.

And I actually think an out-of-form/past it Hayden in the test team is a huge incentive and bonus for opponents – he has irritated them all so much in the past they are queing up to extract revenenge while he’s still around, but as a greatly diminished force.

FFS, they need to bone any player who isn’t performing, regardless of who it is, send ‘em back to shield cricket and promote an inform shield player. Isn’t that what the shield competition is all about?

Hayden is out of form – and has been for a long time. Part of the reason for Australia’s grip on world power has been their ability to forge successful opening partnerships. That is not happening. So stop being loyal to Hayden. Players with just as impressive records have been dropped.

And agree with approach of Neilson – why renew the contract of a coach whose team is losing, irrespective of the players form. But more to the point, it is one of the jobs of the coaches to inspire players such as Hayden or Lee, and clearly this is not happening. Good coaches don’t just say their sticking with their players. Realistically Tim should be leading the charge to bring in new blood to the team.

It’s a interesting comparison with the AUS/NZ WC semi. When NZ lost that game, despite having a good team and a good coach, the NZRU made the tough decision and dumped. The All Blacks and Australian cricket team were always comparable for their ability to ensure their team was ruthlessly managed and as a consequence, both sides have always been perenial world powers.

But this cannot be said any longer about Australia.

But beyond batting and Hayden, Australia’s most glaring issue is their lack of ability to take 20 wickets. Clearly there is a crisis, but I don’t think this decaying model of Australian cricket knows what to do……

Think the 2003 RWC semi-final – Aust v NZ. Stirling Mortlock’s intercept that scored the try in the first half and effectively put us through to the final was the worst thing that could have happened to Australian rugby – we’re still paying the price. If we’d have lost, Eddie Jones, Gregan, Larkham (probably) would have gone/retired/been pushed, but instead stuck around far too long.

Australian cricket is too scared to make tough decisions. The age old saying – it’s harder to get out of the national team than get in it is starting to reign true. It’s really time for tough decisions that will set our side up for success for the next 10 years. (That’s basically what happened under Alan Border). There’s a range of things that could or should happen:

- Coaching – Tim Nielsen??? Dunno, but he needs some hard core support around him. Dennis Lillee as the full-time fast bowling coach, and draft in either Shane Warne or Stu MacGill as a full-time spin coach.

- Selectors – Andrew Hilditch wtf!!! If you could get someone like Steve Waugh or AB as a national selector (again) then we’re on the right track. Am I right in thinking that Merve Hughes is still a selector???? Seriously, the guy’s a boofhead. Without him, we definitely would have won the 2005 Ashes, Tait would never have been picked ahead of MacGill

- Bowling – blood a young spinner now and give him a real crack. None of the spinners being selected at the moment are our long term options. I’m thinking it has to be a wrist spinner, anyone can bowl finger spin with a bit of practice. Leave this to the all-rounders. Plus – Nathan Bracken??? I’d have him in the side right now to plug the Stuart Clark hole and patch for Brett Lee until he (hopefully) finds form. Isn’t someone like Bracken going to be necessary in England for the Ashes with his ability to swing – even reverse swing the ball.

- Batting – Hayden’s judgement in not retiring up to now surely signifies his lost judgement on the field. Time for a tough decision, gotta go.