How can Australian Cricket be re-built?

[gj2000]

I think everybody has their own opinion, but i just wanted to see what everybody else's thoughts were on the rebuilding phase of Australian Cricket. What would it involve? What new players should come into the side? What players should be axed? Should the board of selectors be completely over-hauled? Should Andrew Hilditch go?

One specific point where I think Australian Cricket would improve if this was implemented, would be for each player to have a mentor. Now it doesnt have to be some high-profiled mentor, but someone of which the player can benefit from. For example, Shane Warne as a mentor for Smith. Steve Waugh as a mentor for someone like Callum Ferguson (If he is in the team), or someone like Shane Watson. Adam Gilchrist as a mentor for Tim Paine. Something like that. However, those are just examples. What im getting at, is one player should have someone that could guide them through cricket and improve their technique, batting or bowling, and teach them how to deal with the media and other issues outside of cricket, that are cricket-related.

Anyway, i just wanted to hear what you guys had to say.

 

[mrbrownstone]

Slowly. There is not going to be any easy way out of this down period, they are just going to have to ride it out and hope to come out better of on the other side of it. With the amount of talent they have lost at test match level over the past few year this was inevitable, they lost the best opening combination ever in Langer and Hayden, the best bowling combination ever in Warne and McGrath and the best Wicketkeeper-Batsman ever in Adam Gilchrist all with in a year or so of each other. That isn't the kind of thing you can recover from quickly.

With that being said there are definitely things that can be done to ease the severity of this sudden drop down the rankings. First and foremost get Shaun Tait fit enough so that he can play at test match level, he is capable of bowling 150+KM/H and can put some fear in any batsman's heart. Sure he can be expensive but it can't be any worse than Johnson right? He is more than capable of ripping through any side on his day and at his pace he is someone you want to have in the side.

Secondly get the young talent into the side, if Australia continues the way it is going they are just going to set them selves up for an even bigger drop when Haddin, Hussey, Katich and Ponting all retire in a few years time. Get their would be replacements some experience at international level, get the likes of Tim Paine, Callum Ferguson and Usman Kahwaja in the side now and set your selves up for the future.

So if I had my way and everyone was fit and healthy here is what my Australian side for their next test series would look like.

Watson
Philip Hughes
Usman Khawaja
Michael Clarke (C)
Michael Hussey
Tim Paine/ Callum Ferguson (depending on form, if Paine then just as a batsman, not keeping yet)
Brad Haddin
Steve Smith (mainly as a bowler, but can provide useful batting)
Ryan Harris
Shaun Tait
Ben Hilfenhaus (if he can lear to pitch the fucking ball up and let the fucker swing)

I doubt that is what would happen but that is the side I would like to see, a nice mixture of youth and experience.

 

[gj2000]

First and foremost get Shaun Tait fit enough so that he can play at test match level, he is capable of bowling 150+KM/H and can put some fear in any batsman's heart. Sure he can be expensive but it can't be any worse than Johnson right? He is more than capable of ripping through any side on his day and at his pace he is someone you want to have in the side.

The thing is, Shaun Tait retired from the test match arena. I dont think he has much of a chance to play ODI's let alone test cricket. He was diagnosed with depression, and from there, he could never get his head around playing test cricket. He plays with such reckless abandon that he can barely get through a good spell of four overs. Most of the time, he is having elbow and shoulder surgery, and within the next few years, i fully expect him to retire. Shame too, he had all the potential, but he cant get through a 4-5 over spell without breaking down.

 

[mrbrownstone]

The thing is, Shaun Tait retired from the test match arena. I dont think he has much of a chance to play ODI's let alone test cricket. He was diagnosed with depression, and from there, he could never get his head around playing test cricket. He plays with such reckless abandon that he can barely get through a good spell of four overs. Most of the time, he is having elbow and shoulder surgery, and within the next few years, i fully expect him to retire. Shame too, he had all the potential, but he cant get through a 4-5 over spell without breaking down.

Oh, didn't realised he retired from tests, I just thought he wasn't fit enough to bowl for long spells. Well that is a shame as he really has all of the talent in the world if he puts his mind to it. Well if that is the case then I would work on getting Mitchell Johnson right, he can be just as lethal on his day but unfortunately those are too few and far between.