What has been the single biggest contributing factor to Australia's demise?

[Tangles]

Obviously we don't have the same quality of players that we used to but the management group didn't help matters by not getting younger players more exposure. No way shoul Kat have been marched while Punter and Hussey escaped. Trying to build a batting order in India right before Ashes series is less than ideal. Sure Hussey wasn't expected but given his age the lack of planning is galling. If they had dropped Punter before SA and not protected Hughes that could have answered the number 3 question.

Bad selections and planning make the talent gap look worse because we can't afford them as a team.

 

[social]

Obviously we don't have the same quality of players that we used to but the management group didn't help matters by not getting younger players more exposure. No way shoul Kat have been marched while Punter and Hussey escaped. Trying to build a batting order in India right before Ashes series is less than ideal. Sure Hussey wasn't expected but given his age the lack of planning is galling. If they had dropped Punter before SA and not protected Hughes that could have answered the number 3 question.

Bad selections and planning make the talent gap look worse because we can't afford them as a team.

It was really hard to justify picking players for "experience" when the worst player picked for Oz in the early part of this century (injuries aside) was excellent

As a result, we missed an entire generation of players and the next started playing fc against guys that werent as good and have been exposed at the top level because of it

Obviously, the selectors and management havent done a particularly good job but the root cause is that we are going through a down cycle

 

[Cabinet96]

Nah.

Northamptonshire Country Cricket Club to get an MBE this year.

Big Bambino on the money..

Tbf, Swann and Panesar's careers may have not taken off had they had to get into a stronger county team that played in less favourable spin bowling conditions. Then we would have gone to India with Tredwell and God knows.

 

[Dazinho]

Think the answer to this question is probably quite simple.

The dynasty of players that Australia produced from circa 1987-1995 was amongst the best that has ever played the game. Only the West Indies side that emerged in from the mid 1970s and a second wave in the mid 1980s comes close in modern history.

No doubt mistakes were made, namely those of complacency and failing to blood new players, since persisting with guys who have done it at the top level is totally understandable.

Once that team broke up, there was always going to be some sort of decline, and probably a fairly sharp one for the first couple of years.

Much was made of the academy system, and England's rather dismal attempts to emulate it. Is the truth not that Australian cricket experienced their equivalent of the Man United youth side from 1992, a glorious one-off that you can't reasonably expect to repeat?

All the planning and good structures in the world can lead to a conveyor belt of good players, but ATGs just happen IMO.

 

[Jono]

Ian Chappell: Australia's poor show in India will affect their Ashes performance | Cricinfo Magazine | ESPN Cricinfo

Chappelli weighs in. PEWS and Benchy punching walls aws.

Love that Chappelli managed to mention his love child Rohit Sharma in this piece. Brilliant effort.

 

[Midwinter]

Think the answer to this question is probably quite simple.

No doubt mistakes were made, namely those of complacency and failing to blood new players, since persisting with guys who have done it at the top level is totally understandable.

.

The classic case of denial,

Persisting with the last remnants of what once made you great. Its a common occurrence in sporting teams.

It's the exact opposite of the attitude that teams have on the way up.

It's time to start playing the best of the next generation.

 

[Top_Cat]

Ian Chappell: Australia's poor show in India will affect their Ashes performance | Cricinfo Magazine | ESPN Cricinfo

Chappelli weighs in. PEWS and Benchy punching walls aws.

Love that Chappelli managed to mention his love child Rohit Sharma in this piece. Brilliant effort.

 

[Jono]

For a country that used to consistently produce talented young batsmen ready for the Test side in either their late teens or early 20s, Australia have only had Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke (as long-term successes) in that category since Ponting made his debut 18 years ago. Where the early 20s used to be the normal debut age for an Australian Test batsman, it's now blown out to the late 20s and occasionally even 30.

That has to be Chappelli trolling PEWS. It has to be!

 

[the big bambino]

Everyone accepts that the players aren't as good as those from the recent golden age. If it was just that then we'd all show tolerance and wait for the time they, and the team, improve.

However our lack of playing stocks has coincided with a period of brain dead administration, selection and coaching and unfortunately taken the blame for our failings in those areas. This seems a problem in Aussie sport atm with our men's relay swimming team practically being dragged out in yolks to be publicly humiliated so the administrators can escape the criticism for their part for the poor olympic form of the swim team.

Really the problems with our cricket side became urgent after the 09 ashes loss. We kept faith with that side yet why would anyone think a losing side will be any better 2 years later? Hence we were clubbed in the following ashes and for some reason were surprised at the result. I admit I was too. I expected Eng to win it 5 blot.

Just look at some of the decisions and outcomes our front office has presided over. In Hilditch we had a man who is frankly an imbecile in charge of selection. We had a spinner a match, 17 men squad, the persistence with Ponting as captain so he could repeat his bone headed decisions rather than learn from them. It was obvious he was a shot duck at 3 yet we kept him there. The last ashes showed that Clarke needed some space btwn himself and the new ball yet we kept him at 4 where he would have averaged single figures except for one innings on a road. Now that he's proven himself at 5 we move him back to 4...Or look like we will. We picked Beer on a tweet from Warne.

We kept Hussey when he couldn't make a run yet executed Hughes at the first instance. Then we made plans around Hussey (whom I hate with a passion bcos I think he's a selfish selfish prick) who dumps on us with his "who would have guessed it retirement". Yet if we dropped him and made him hungry - who knows? We overlook Cosgrove bcos he aint photogenic and you would have thought we'd have learned the lesson not to pick part timers in India the last time: Maybe this time then? And Doherty instead of giving O'Keefe a go at least? COME ON!

We are now afraid to make a decision leaving our pace bowlers in the hands of sports scientists with a regime that rewards them for not bowling it seems. We've let the standard of our fc pitches drop and the SS as well. Almost to the point where it wasn't rated by selectors as a form guide. Then why have it?

And what did Cooley and Neilsen achieve as coaches? What has the argus rept achieved except to put a chick on the board? But - you know - well done Sutherland! You banned Mexican waves and beer snakes. You know - fun. But I can see the point. Ever seen how unstable beer snakes are? What if they fall and hit someone on the head?

Cricket in Australia stinks from the head.

Add this one. Basing selections on a player's ability to score runs and take wickets is so yesterday. But if they fail to hand in homework on time then out they go.

**** me dead. Can our Cricket Oz actually find dumber people to run the game and manage the team? This has got to be worth 5 facepalms atleast.

 

[Riggins]

 

[dhillon28]

silly quartet of players not submitting their homework on time!!! At least have the sense, as I used to, by copying someone else's homework and changing the words around a bit.

 

[Red]

Daily wellness forms

 

[Furball]

How much, if any, Shield Cricket did the likes of Warne, McGrath, Gillespie, Kasprowicz, Lee etc play in the last 5ish years of their career?

 

[the big bambino]

Ummm...too busy playing internationals.

 

[vic_orthdox]

Warne played a bit because he wasn't playing ODIs.

 

[Sanz]

Michael Clarke's Leadership is biggest factor for Australia's demise. I am surprised at how much free pass he gets from the fans.

 

[Spikey]

nice try bud

Obviously we don't have the same quality of players that we used to but the management group didn't help matters by not getting younger players more exposure. No way shoul Kat have been marched while Punter and Hussey escaped. Trying to build a batting order in India right before Ashes series is less than ideal. Sure Hussey wasn't expected but given his age the lack of planning is galling. If they had dropped Punter before SA and not protected Hughes that could have answered the number 3 question.

Bad selections and planning make the talent gap look worse because we can't afford them as a team.

Sadly, Katich was the most expendable of the 4 36yos, and after a 3-1 Ashes loss at least one of them had to go straight away, given all were doubtful to make the Ashes. Ponting wasn't getting the chop straight away, and Hussey and Haddin had just been the best batsmen in said Ashes loss, and had the boost of playing ODI & T20 players too eg being bigger leaders in the dressing room than Katich, who had also been in sketchy form leading up to his dropping. Personally though, I wanted them to sack Hussey anyway.

 

[Jono]

Michael Clarke's Leadership is biggest factor for Australia's demise. I am surprised at how much free pass he gets from the fans.

Free pass? He is probably the most maligned captain Australia has had for 25+ years.

 

[benchmark00]

Michael Clarke's Leadership is biggest factor for Australia's demise. I am surprised at how much free pass he gets from the fans.

This would have to be the biggest troll post this forum has seen in recent times. Bravo.

 

[Valer]

This would have to be the biggest troll post this forum has seen in recent times. Bravo.

I'd suggest that while (test)captain on this forum he's been taken fairly well despite some dubious results at times. Some of this would have to do with the surprising win in SL when he first took over. Averaging a hair under 70 as captain probably helped too tho.