Wake up Cricket Australia, the public shouldn't have to put up with this

Australian cricket selectors how much longer will you continue with your policy to select players by name and not by form. A classic example of this is Michael Clarke, he continues to struggle and does not look like scoring a run. The public has lost faith in his form and his capabilities as a captain. Its time for some short term pain for some long term gain. Then the selectors select Phil Hughes a player averaging 20 odd at state level, a player not in form and a player that curently falls hort technically. Why Marsh, Ferguson, Bailey just to name a few have been left out is unbelievable. The question is who is being held accountable for these decisions and the fall from grace of the number one team in the world to number five. Not only were we beaten on the field, by better players, we were also beaten by a much better prepared group. England had set game plans for all Australian players and they supported their captain on the field by executing those plans nealy perfectly. Its one thing to be out played on the field, but to be made to look stupid off is unforgivable. If Australian Cricket was looked at as a business, the call would be for sweeping changes, out with the non performers and in with new blood, new systems and renewed passion to leave no stone unturned to achieve success on and off the field. Wake up Cricket Australia and make some tough decisions now.

The Australian cricket team must be put on a performance based contacts,you might find them not giving up in such an easy manner.Also back to basics boys,eg running between wickets etc,etc. Good Luck, Sid

...the top order has failed. Hughes snick, Watson snick, Clarke snick, Kwajah (sic) lost head on debut. Sigh.

"Well, if the NSW top order fails yet again, tomorrow, we will at least have a rough idea where the problem lies." Yeah Oracle, the problem lies with rest of the states not producing players. Someone like Kim Hughes would back me up. He also has a word about Phil Hughes. http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/the-ashes/phil-hughes-deficient-at-test-level/story-fn67w6pa-1225973332625

Well, if the NSW top order fails yet again, tomorrow, we will at least have a rough idea where the problem lies.

well all the young players that were successful had their run in the 90's and 2000's and had to go back to sheffield cricket when it was the best competition in the world and make thousands of runs and better their skills , eg damien martyn, justin langer, ricky ponting darren lehmann couldnt even get again until he was nearly 30, and matthew hayden was a another example

well if they are going on form well what did okeefe do in the australia a game, what has 6 of the 11 done all season, you can yawn it wasnt a succession plan at all, all i was saying there is better players to pick from with more first class experience, thanks buddy i reckon i know about cricket than u could imagine thanks for your comments anyway

"the secret to our success in the 90′s was that players had to make a stack of runs or take heaps of wickets" Absolute rubbish. The reason the team was so strong in the 90s was because Australian cricket took a punt on a few talented youngsters and it paid off for them. Everybody knows how Shane Warne was plucked from nowhere. Also Steven Waugh was given a go when he was 20 and his first 5 or 6 years in the national team were terrible. Taking a punt on youngsters like Smith and Khawaja and giving them a good go in the national team was how Australia got to be so good in the 90s. The rubbish that it was due to a strong national domestic comp is just propaganda.

They better wake up!

Yawn. Another arm chair idiot that knows little about the game. Succession plans? Warne, McGrath, Langer and Martyn retired 4 years ago. Gilchrist 3 years ago and Hayden 2. We beat India without most of those players and Gilchrist retired that series because he was playing like crap. Succession plans are stupid. You cannot account for injury or lack or form. You can groom players for "succession" but if they don't perform then what? Brett Lee admirably took over leading the fast bowling attack after McGrath retired while Johnson was his support bowler and being groomed to take over leading the fast bowling in the long term. Guess what? Lee got injured and Johnson has been to inconsistent. Succession plan fail. Hughes was in line to be Hayden's replacement with support from Katich. Guess what? He was found out to be technically insufficient in test cricket (against England at least). Succession plan fail. Steve O'Keefe? What runs has he made this year? He's only played 2 first class matches this season. Do you really think he would succeed where Doherty and Smith have failed?

its funny how david hussey, cameron white havent had a look in to the test matches this year, yet phil hughes gets a game kwahja is getting a game and if ferguson was fit would be getting a game, the secret to our success in the 90's was that players had to make a stack of runs or take heaps of wickets, for example this season if ur a spinner and can take more than four wickets in a innnings ur in, how its going why dont they play hauritz as a batsmen. steve smith no way is he the best number 6 in australia, when ya know what ur talking about make a comment yeah in the mid 80's we struggle but we still had allan border as captain didnt take rubbish hard as nails from the press conferences that have been given where is ricky? michael clarke taking them, shane watson just basically his second year as a full time player given conferences shouldnt even be talking

Will you guys give Phil Hughes a break. He's not a bad as people make out to be. He is a talented young player, in which he's technique, form and mindset will improve as he gets older. Up until 18 months ago Hughes scored heavily at shield for 2 seasons. Then he was picked for S.A and did well there scoring 2 hundreds in his second test. He went to England, and again scored heavily at county cricket before ashes 2009. Then things started to change. He missed out on an England A game prior to the first test, then of course, he only had 3 innings in that ashes series. Hughes had a steady shield season last season. But this season he is struggling for form. What happens now is bowlers have worked out Hughes, it's up to him to change the way he bats. Don't give up on him. He's only 22. To sum up Phil Hughes, just read my second line again.

The Australian cricketers lack of success is a bonus for world cricket. The Windies demolition of anyone else became tedious in the 80s. Watching Ponting spit his dummy out was great theatre in the last Test.Great player as he is ultimately hes an entertainer.

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