The general public have been baying for the blood of the Australian selectors, and justifiably so. Post Ashes 2009 should have signalled a transition period. Youth should have been given time to settle and have their baptism of fire against weaker teams.
Australia played the West Indies, Pakistan and New Zealand in 10 tests between August 2009 and November 2010.
Whilst it probably wouldn’t have made a difference to the final result of the Ashes, Australia would possibly be further advanced in their rebuilding phase and may have avoided the commentary citing a side in disarray.
Instead of a youth policy, we were given chopping and changing of spinners, persisting with batsmen hoping they’ll hit form, and constant tinkering with fast bowling stocks.
Hopefully Usman Khawaja’s positive debut jolts some positive moves from the selection committee. In addition to Khawaja, Phillip Hughes and Steve Smith mean three recognised batsmen in the lineup under the age of 25. There’s no doubt both Hughes and Smith need to tighten their techniques at the crease, but they are serious long-term options for the Australian team.
Time will tell as to whether they are good enough, but it is imperative the selectors persist with a youth policy. Chopping and changing and expecting to find experienced, 30 year old state cricketers to replace past champions is no way to build a test team for the long-term future.
As a nation we have been spoiled with the likes of Warne, McGrath, Hayden, Ponting, Gilchrist, Langer and the Waugh’s in the side at the same time. Such an assembly of champions in one team may never be seen again in any test side across the globe, let alone Australia.
It was an era where players like McGill, Fleming, Bichel, Hodge and even Katich were at times consigned to the fringes of the team. Players like Simon Cook burst on the scene with five wicket hauls and were out of the side a couple of weeks later.
Those days are gone for now and they will not return when you do not give young players time to settle. Good test cricketers are created by difficult encounters in test cricket.
Langer’s baptism of fire came in 1992/93 against the West Indies in Adelaide when he grinded out a gritty 54 in that famous one run loss. Ponting endured a horror patch in 1999 against Pakistan making three consecutive ducks after a quiet period and then exploded with consecutive tons including 197 on a Perth deck facing the likes of Wasim Akram and Shoaib Akhtar.
Warne’s initial test figures read 1/150, 0/18, 0/60, 0/107, 3/11, 0/40 and 1/65 before breaking through with 7/52. Even after the breakthrough it wasn’t smooth sailing as he endured three more tests only taking two wickets before it all came together.
Could you imagine what might have happened to Warne in 2010 had he commenced with the same figures? Sure champions will always prevail but there’s no doubt Warne was nurtured and given time within the national team environment.
Struggles to make the grade in test cricket is a rite of passage and whilst a young test side will mean more pain in our results in the short-term future, the persistence in a youth policy will sort the men from the boys and mould Australia back into a match hardened, tough, arrogant and (most importantly) winning test nation ready to take back The Ashes on English soil in 2013.
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