70/71,83/84, mid 90's

[Midwinter]

End of eras .
The first two Australian and the third was the West Indies under Richie Richardson.

In each case the difficulty was accepting it at the time and then putting a plan in place for the revival of the team.

70/71 was the installation of Ian Chappell as captain and the building of the team for the seventies.

The mid-eighties was a dire time for the Australian test team until Bobby Simpson was appointed caoch and began building the team that is now coming to the end of its glory.

The great Western Indian team built up under Clive Lloyd came to the end of the road in the mid-nineties despite the presence of Ambrose and Lara.

Its starting to feel like 70/71 again.

Time to face reality and begin planning for the future, not clinging to past glories.

Anyone agree ?

[flibbertyjibber]

Agree to an extent though the Aussie side has been in rapid decline for the past couple of years and beating a few minnows has masked that. Being shown up here for the ordinary attack they are which many non Aussies predicted before the series, whether they blood youngsters now or stick with the tried and failed i don't know but the current lot look a long way away from a side capable of producing matchwinning bowling performances on a regular basis.

[stephen]

I tend to agree. To lose, within the space of four years:

Hayden
Langer
Martyn
Waugh
Gilchrist
McGrath
Gillespie
Lee
Warne

Will leave any side a lot poorer. To lose the coaches who had made them so great at the same time is also going to hurt a lot.

After the ashes, provided we lose, I would like to see Hughes and Khawaja replacing Katich and North and Copeland, Cameron and O'Keefe blooded as soon as is possible. I do not think that Harris is a long term option (though I do think he deserves to keep his spot as long as he remains injury free) and of the other quicks only Bollinger has done enough to warrant a guaranteed spot (and depending on how the Ashes turn out, this may change). No free passes should be given to any player over the age of 30 - if you don't perform you are out. I would also like to see Ponting drop down to bat at #5 or #6.

I also do not believe that Clarke is up to captaining the Australian cricket team. The problem is that of the current lot, I can't really see any of them doing a great job. Katich is too old, Watson has enough on his plate and doesn't have the right temperament. Clarke is too weak of a personality. Hussey has proven he's not up to the job. North needs to be dropped regardless. Haddin is a possibility. None of the bowlers have a good enough cricketing brain.

It may be that an intermediate option for captaincy might be Haddin, which could mean putting the gloves away just to focus on batting and captaincy. Which means he'd be holding a specialist middle order spot (which I think he's good enough to do).

After the exodus after the 06/07 Ashes series, I really feel like Ponting did not make great captaincy decisions. He should have pressured the selectors to give him a young team full of potential, instead of an old team of "not quite good enough to make the first XI when the great players were there". The incapability of making the difficult decisions a few years ago has left us in the spot we are in now - the only blooded players are tired and old and just are not of the same quality as the players of a few years ago. This is in stark contrast to what happened after the exodus of the Chappell brothers and Lillee and Thomo. There was Border and Boon and noone else in the team at the time was experienced. It hurt for a few years but it built the foundation for Australia's world dominance. At the moment our selections seem in disarray, without a plan for what the team will look like in three years time.

Honestly, who can see any of Katich, Hussey, North, Bollinger, Harris, Doherty or Ponting being around in four years time for the next home Ashes? At best, of the current team we will have a past-30 Watson, a 39 year old Ponting, Clarke, a near retirement Haddin, maybe Siddle and perhaps one of either Bollinger or Johnson (outside chance for either really as they'll both be on the wrong side of 32). I dare say that if we are relying on the bulk of our current bowling attack in 4 years time we will be thrashed. If we are relying on North, Ponting and Hussey/Katich we might as well just leave the Urn in England.

Rebuilding must begin the day after the Ashes end.

[TumTum]

Bring back Hughes!

[robelinda]

I dont think anyone is clinging to past glories. Ponting has said right from when Warne and McGrath retired that we would find it more of a grind in tests. I dont why people still keep thinking we are living in the past.

[Spark]

Most of the public is tbf. Don't think that's especially relevant though.

[pasag]

Stick to picking the best XI in the country. When there is doubt as to who is better for a given position, give it to the youngster.

[TumTum]

Originally Posted by pasag

Stick to picking the best XI in the country. When there is doubt as to who is better for a given position, give it to the youngster.

awta. Hughes is the best and the youngest ftr.

[vcs]

From an Indian perspective, it's tough viewing to see other teams going to Australia and winning against this team. Takes getting used to after all those years of watching Warne and McGrath roll over visiting teams unfailingly. They'll probably improve enough to beat India by the time we get to tour there.

[vcs]

Anyway, the Ashes just doesn't feel the same without...

[Goughy]

Originally Posted by pasag

Stick to picking the best XI in the country. When there is doubt as to who is better for a given position, give it to the youngster.

Absolutely.

[robelinda]

This test aint lost yet, nor is the series. The beauty of a 5 test series.

[Spark]

Indeed.

[Debris]

Originally Posted by vcs

From an Indian perspective, it's tough viewing to see other teams going to Australia and winning against this team. Takes getting used to after all those years of watching Warne and McGrath roll over visiting teams unfailingly. They'll probably improve enough to beat India by the time we get to tour there.

India's own fault for only wanting to come here once every 10 years or so.

[Debris]

Originally Posted by robelinda

I dont think anyone is clinging to past glories. Ponting has said right from when Warne and McGrath retired that we would find it more of a grind in tests. I dont why people still keep thinking we are living in the past.

I would make the argument that the selectors have been. We are paying the price now for the faffing about by the selectors over the past two years.