Feels like yesterday

[aflcliche]

There were successful veterans in the team from the mid / late 80s - Waughs, Border, Boon, Mcdermot, Hughes, Taylor....

There were young guns - Slater, Warne, Mcgrath....

Emerging future stars, some in the Aus A side that almost seemed as good. - Ghilchrist, Hayden, Langer, Ponting, Gillespie, Hussey, Lehman, Katich....

What went wrong?

In almost a generation very few have come through from what seemed an endless talent pool. Only Clarke and Watson are players in their late 20s, but there should be more world class of that age.

 

[Cooldude]

Lack of talent isn't the main thing that lost us this Ashes, but lack of heart, hardness and application

I remembered once upon a dream that Aussies were the best in the trenches and always rose up when the going got tough. Steve Waugh epitomised that for a better part of 10 years.

Now our team is filled with these pretty strokemaking batsmen who look bloody glorious when things are going well, but fold like a ****in' deck chair when the ball move a little, or the pitch just has a bit of grass on it.

Then we have bowlers who aside from Sids are all soft and inconsistent. You got Mitch Johnson who's more content with taking his shirt off to do tv ads and photoshoots rather than learning to be more bloody consistent.

Let's not start with the selectors, how Doherty ever got a baggygreen needs a lot to answer for. Bad selection policy breeds a bad culture. If players know their places aren't dependent on performance and merit, then complacency sets it. 10 years ago, everyone was on the edge of their seats and knowing they have to constantly perform to stay in the side. That creates a system where the mentally tough who can consistently perform and put their minds in the tasks will stay at the top, while those who can't cope with the pressure of performing gets filtered out

 

[Adelaide Hawk]

Let's not start with the selectors, how Doherty ever got a baggygreen needs a lot to answer for.

This is what sounded the alarm bells for me. I never realised just how bad Australian cricket was travelling until I heard his name announced in the team.

 

[Johnson#26]

If we're fair dinkum, Johnson should not be in the XI ever again. Or until he has a consistent Shield season. Do not care if he has his Halley's Comet innings once every few years that has the Johnson cheer squad on Channel 9 and in the media going 'awwww wow, that's what he's in the side for folks!'. My leg spin would have it's day in the sun if given enough chances too.

Pick bowlers with G&D and a willingness to bowl line and length and stick to a plan.

Stuart Clark, anyone?

 

[The_Reaper]

If we're fair dinkum, Johnson should not be in the XI ever again. Or until he has a consistent Shield season. Do not care if he has his Halley's Comet innings once every few years that has the Johnson cheer squad on Channel 9 and in the media going 'awwww wow, that's what he's in the side for folks!'. My leg spin would have it's day in the sun if given enough chances too.

Pick bowlers with G&D and a willingness to bowl line and length and stick to a plan.

Stuart Clark, anyone?

Clark is lucky to keep his spot for NSW now.

Copeland is the guy your looking for and has a great record as well.

 

[Johnson#26]

Happy to go for it. I know Clark's on the way out, but he was pensioned off 1000 times too early IMO.

 

[Wallaby]

There were successful veterans in the team from the mid / late 80s - Waughs, Border, Boon, Mcdermot, Hughes, Taylor....

There were young guns - Slater, Warne, Mcgrath....

Emerging future stars, some in the Aus A side that almost seemed as good. - Ghilchrist, Hayden, Langer, Ponting, Gillespie, Hussey, Lehman, Katich....

The problem is, you are squeezing approx 20 years of progress into one 'glorious' period.

Steve Waugh - debuted in 85/86, carried for several years, dropped in 90/91 (yes, even after his 'wonderful' 1989 series).
Hughes - debuted in 85/86, pretty poor, not a regular until 1989
Boon - debuted in 84/85
Mark Taylor - debuted in 88/89
McDermott - debuted in 84/85

Mark Waugh - debuted in 90/91
Slater - debuted in 93
Warne - debuted in 91/92
McGrath - debuted in 93/94
Hayden - debuted in 94
Gilchrist - debuted in 99/00
Langer - 92/93
Gillespie - 96
Hussey - 2006
Lehmann - 2004
katich - 2001, and then dropped for 2 years - in 2005 was dropped for another 2 years.

You get about one good player per year - if lucky. And in that same time period, don't forget that some not-so-good players turned out for Australia - Elliott, Cook, Muller, Nicholson, Wilson, Simon davis(!), Chris Matthews, Tony Dodemaide, Greg Campbell (!), Jo Angel..... here, have a look at the list.
http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/player/caps.html?country=2;class=1

It will take time to get back to the top - it took time to get to the top in 94. We were probably the worst test team in 85/86 and it took us 9 years.