By Roy Weavers

After over a decade of dominating the world cricket stage, the current Australian Cricket team doesn’t appear to be cutting the mustard does it?  It’s got so bad that a friend said to me just yesterday that he reckoned it is now harder to get OUT of the Australian team than it is to get IN it! 

And let’s face it a perfect example of this is paceman Mitchell ‘Tattoo’ Johnson.  He was dropped, sorry, rested after the first test because he overstrained himself during his final hapless spell of what I assume he thought was bowling! Yet miraculously he’s back in the team, ready and rarin’ after a two week break without having played a single game during that period.   The words 'harden up' spring to mind!

Now before I go too far with this little missive, I suppose I should declare that I am a ‘Pozzie’, a naturalised Australian having originated from the icy depths of Southern England, where sledging was only enjoyed whilst sliding down snowy hillsides. 

However, I don’t want you to think this, in any way is clouding my judgement, on the fact that England are currently flogging this hapless mob of ‘teachers pets’. 

I am first and foremost a cricket lover and understand completely that the only real cricket matches that matter always involve England and Australia and a little urn.  And whether they are one sided affairs, as they have been in the recent and glorious Aussie era of Warne, McGrath, Hayden, Langer and Gilchrist etc or more evenly fought contests as the last couple of Ashes series have proved to be, it doesn’t matter.

I come from an era pre the sophistication of The Australian Cricket Academy when the Australian Test teams I remember would be dominant for about 10 years and then rebuild for about 3 years before crushing everything in its path again for another 10 years.  You had to be quick to take advantage of this three year lull and get your winning done good and quick!   Captains were selected from the team, not the team selected around the Captain and fast bowlers smiled when they saw fear in the eyes of the Pommie batters.

So what has changed?....Well nothing as far as I can see. 

Australia has had a decade where the team remained basically unchanged.  It almost picked itself and was comprised of the world’s greatest players who have ever graced a cricket pitch.  If the 1948 Test team had not pipped them to the name, ‘The Invincibles’, would have been a very fitting accolade.

The down side to this phenomenal success is that there was no room for anyone to break into the side.  Fringe players popped in occasionally like Stuart McGill when Warney had over exerted his texting finger on his mobile phone and a whole array of very able fast bowlers battled to establish themselves alongside supremo Glenn McGrath. 

But the batters remained pretty much set in their selection with Ricky Ponting riding the amazing wave of luck he had being handed as the Captain of these superstars.  They can’t have taken a lot of captaining can they?

The downside to this wonderful era was that no one outside the immediate circle of talent had any incentive or opportunity to break into the side.  The inevitable result is that the standard doesn’t exactly drop, it just doesn’t generate superstars because it doesn’t have to! 

The State sides played their competitions, batters scored their centuries, bowlers took their ‘fivefors’, fielders took their catches and cricket continued to be played.  It just wasn’t amazing cricket!

So, when the glory era inevitably came to an end and the legends began to retire in quick succession, Australian cricket could not send in any suitable reinforcements from the pool of mediocre talent that was available.  Most of the players available had been swinging the willow in 20/20 or One day games, well it was all they could get into!  

And let’s face it classic technique in that type of cricket is almost irrelevant and bowling was about keeping runs down rather than striking fear in the hearts and heads of the opposition batters ‘cos it would have been a wide wouldn’t it?

So it’s hardly surprising is it that we are left with a situation where, as my friend said, it’s harder to get out of the Australian team than to get in. 

Phil Hughes, Marcus North, Mitchell Johnson even Michael Clarke and dare I say Mr Ponting are all struggling for form but the almost as hapless selectors persist in playing them or at least bringing them back in again and again because they don’t believe they have any option. 

I mentioned it earlier, in the old days Australia were dominant for 10 years, rebuilt for 3 years and they dominated again for another 10 years.  I can’t believe that in all of Australia’s State competition there are not young cricketers who, if given a chance, wouldn’t demonstrate the required guts, fire and determination when wearing the baggy green (and gold) of their country to help rebuild the side for a fresh decade of success. 

You will not find another Matthew Hayden, Justin Langer, Ricky Ponting in his prime or Shane Warne or any of the other greats unless they are blooded early to learn their craft.  And they are not going to learn the craft unless this gang of ‘also rans’ are sent back to regroup or retire. 

I wish I could do my job as badly and have this kind of job security. 

I wonder when the selectors are going to get the message or the boot? 

Update: Thank God for Aussie 'grit'.  I'm delighted to see that the Aussies have pulled this match out of the hat and levelled the series, that sets up the Melbourne test perfectly.  But I still don't think the underlying problems are being addressed.  The batting would look a bit silly without Hussey and you can't rely on a bowling attack being led by Mitchell Johnson 'cos he only turns up to play occasionally.   Glenn McGrath or Dennis Lillee used to show up every game!  Maybe Ryan harris will prove that bringing in a new guard is the answer.....I love this game!