Why does the NSP receive so much airtime?

I said the sydney centric outlook of private schools in sydney, gets more air time nationally than other private schools in other states . NSW is the biggest state in OZ, sydney is the biggest city, and most rich people live more than any other city. So private schools in sydney get more media coverage.

But they were from private schools and it was never raised as an issue in connection with any selectors that had gone to private schools. In other words, private school boys playing for Aus is hardly new. What' s the big deal now?

sydney centric outlook of cricket Australia. Cowan is a NSW lad. And klatch only started to play for OZ, when he moved to NSW. And Huss didn't play test cricket until he was 30. So many non NSW players have been dudded over the years, just ask Brad Hodge, Jamie Siddons, Stuart Law, Matt Elliot.

Are you guys for real? Mike Hussey went to a private school as did Simon Katich. What the hell did that have to do with their selection?

You will find this very difficult as most test batsmen average better in test cricket than First Class ie; our 3 past Test captains & best batsmen of the past 20 years to name a few.

Exactly Lolly, The Argus review identifid the need for open and hnest communicaton between players/selectors/administrators/public. The NSP has been told by CA to open up and is doing precisely that. Inverarit's explanaions may seem clumsy at times but he is trying to do what has been asked of him.

"Your views on national identity or what constitutes being Australian is archaic." Where did I give my view on national identity or what constitutes being Australian? I just said that Australian's have a vested interest in their team. Obviously if they don't like cricket they don't have a vested interest, but all Australian's that are interested do have a vested interest (I would suggest that all Australian's actually have a vested interest in at least the conduct of our national team, if not their performance or ability). I cannot see how that comment is incorrect, unless the definition of the phrase "vested interest" has altered. Now if I was not Australian and my team wasn't playing Australia, then yes I wouldn't have anything more than an "interest"... Perhaps abusing those that have taken the time to respond isn't the best approach? "Enough supporters still turn up to the games irrespective of the make up of the team, irrespective of whether the NSP is demonstrating the corporate accountability you seem to be expecting them to uphold." Actually crowds and TV viewers have been declining, so apparently the supporters won't just turn up irrespective of the make up of the team. "People go to watch cricket because it is a fun thing to do, not because they have vested interests in the make up of the squad or if the NSP are transparent." People do go to watch the cricket because it's fun. It's fun when the best players are being picked and they are playing in their correct positions and format against top quality opposition. It's not so much fun watching Rob Quiney playing out of his depth and even less fun watching batting collapses occur due to strange selection policies - the NSP are directly responsible for all of this and so therefore need to explain it. I think you're taking the vested interest phrase to an extreme here, but it's your article, do what you want. "The NSP are not running a business. They are doing their job of picking players. The company executive runs the business and employs the selectors. Your argument is flawed." My argument isn't flawed, I just didn't expect to need so much detail, but I am happy to elaborate. The NSP is not running the business, alone, but they are certainly an intergral part of the business and, rightly or wrongly, the "front" of said business. Yes their role is to select the players, but they are also presently expected to front the media in their role, which is integral to the flagship product for Cricket Australia - the National Team. If they aren't up to conducting the interviews and explaining their decisions, then perhaps professional HR people need to be employed to do so (I don't recommend it, I just think the NSP needs to be better at doing interviews). Remember, like a business, they are in competition with other sports (businesses) for the mighty dollar and right now they are losing market share to their competitors. "Do the state selectors or big bash selectors make public announcements to keep their customers happy? Of course not." No, because their customers (fans) are almost non-existant. The Shield is nothing more than a feeder comp and the BBL is so far nothing more than a circus that fills in mid-week programming. Once the BBL teams become more established and have fans, with vested interests, then their selectors will be fronting the media. Whoever is responsible for picking a sporting team (or a respresenative of the group) usually has to front the media, it happens in the NRL, the A-League and in Rugby Union, except in these sports it is usually just a coach that does the selecting and explaining to the media, not a panel (though they might be part of one, the Wallabies are selected by panel, I am pretty sure, but only the coach has to front the media generally). "If your vested interests are in the make up of a cricket team…..please divert them to something more relevant to your life." Again, I am not sure how abusing someone who has taken the time to respond to your article is a good approach, but that's up to you. I have a vested interest in the team and that extends to the make up of the team and how they were selected (in my opinion). If you have NO INTEREST in the make up the team, please feel free to never, ever, comment on the make up of the Australian Cricket side again.

Exactly pope paul. times sure have changed in Bondi now. Baby boomers who bought houses cheaply in the area , 80's to mid 90's sure cashed in.

Could not agree more Johnno. I lived there from mid 80s to early 90s straight from the country and thought I'd stumbled on paradise. It was so easy going and lack of money wasn't a social barrier then.

Pope Paul i live out that way now in eastern suburbs. I have lived around different parts of east sydney, and northern suburbs, and had friends who have lived in inner city or inner west. But i grew up in the 1980's in east and 90's. And I tell you what, as you'd know int he 1980's , wow Bondi and most of east in general was a different place. I went to a public school for at least half of my school life both primary and high school. And many of the kids who i went to school with in 1980's right next to bond, there a lot of there dads were taxi drivers, garbage bin collectors for the local council, low aid unskilled bricky labourers, or simply didn't even work. And many of the mums worked in retile at the lower level, or were were check out staff at coles, or worked in child care,. But all these jobs were along way from highflying. And many lived in Bondi, Bronte, Clovelly, Bellvue Hiill, Randwick, Rose Bay. In both houses and flats. And now the baby boomers who owned housed back then whose kids i went to school with, there houses are over $1 million dollars, and apartments over $800,000. And we are talking about taxi drivers here, often or unskilled builders, .Incredibile. Makes me now wish wow, I wish i was born between 1950 and 1965 . Housing far cheaper . Now the public school i went to as a child, a lot of the parents there are doctors, IT industry, dentists, accountants. Demographics sure have changed down Bondi way in the last 15 years.

Johnno now you are making me nostalgic for old Bondi and the east prior to the first couple of property booms, when us common folk could afford to live there

Pup had a few years doing the Bondi circuit in the eastern suburbs , so he changed his style a bit probably mixed with many ex-private school types, as many live out Bondi Beach way and the glamourous strips of the eastern suburbs.

I think it is mere coincidence that we have a private school headmaster Chairman of Selectors at the same time as we have two players with private school backgrounds - Cowan and Bird. However maybe it is having subconsious effect on what they think is a good bloke. I would be very suprised if Mickey Arthur, being a Sth African, was not deeply emmeshed is private school culture. Interestingly Usman Khawaja attended Westfield Sports High, the same alma mater as Captain and Selector Clarke. Doesn't seemed to have helped much.

I laughed

Yes. The idea that a player should average over 50 in the Shield was valid when we had such a dominant side from around 1995-2007 but now an average of 45 would be enough. Even then we should be looking at a players recent 2-5 seasons (maybe even 2-3) instead of their overall career as what they did a decade ago isn't relevant to their current ability.

I think using an overall career figure can be a bit inaccurate. What a player did when they made their debut as a teenager 10 years ago holds no real relevance to the player that they are today. I'd be looking at the last 2-5 years of a players career when selecting for the test team. For example Mike Hussey averaged 41 in Shield cricket over his career (his overall first class average was higher due to county cricket) but in the few years before his test call-up he was doing much better than that. Your economy rates for one day cricket are also very optimistic. An economy rate of around 4 in ODI's would put a bowler up with the best of all time. Only two bowlers have an economy rate below 3 in the Ryobi Cup this season. Aaron Finch, who has bowled one over, and Michael Hogan, who has played one game. A bowler with an economy rate between mid 4's and low 5's in ODI's would be considered a very, very good bowler, especially considering the growing dominance of the bat in ODI cricket. Malinga for example has an economy rate of 5 over his career yet is considered one of the best current ODI bowlers. Realistically you'd be looking at an economy rate of around 5 in ODI's and 4 or so in domestic cricket.

Whoever gives "Ivers the Shivers" he picks. Ivers and Cowan have similar backgrounds. Ivers was a headmaster at a top private school. And Cowan fits the stereotypical model of student from a private school, on so many levels. Well spoken, from a reasonably privileged family, smooth facial skin, well spoken, reasonably academic . Cowan had a vasty different upbringing to Dave Warner or Micheal Clarke, or many of the working class kids who play rugby league.

In that case the only one is Phil Hughes. Which goes to show what a flawed test it is.

He will never be a test cricketer - he is not good enough against the short ball - he is Michael Bevan but not as good. He is also in horrendous current form. He was dropped from the T20 side, and I don't expect to see him back for the WI ODI series either. The reason using averages is misleading is that it favours players either at the very start of their career who start with a bang, or declining veterans whose statistics gloss over the rapidly advancing flaws in their game (yes I'm looking at you Ricky Ponting).