Chinmay Kore
Banned
- Joined
- 15 Mar 2015
- Messages
- 612
- Reaction score
- 143
Australia should blood 'em young
IAN CHAPPELL
100 Facebook Twitter
It's time to start investing in younger batsmen capable of succeeding at Test level instead of turning to ageing players who are bound to have a short shelf life
Michael Clarke was handed a debut at 22 and by 30 he was good enough to captain Australia full time [COPYRIGHT SIGN] Getty Images
A commentator on the West Indies-Australia Test series cited the success of Adam Voges, with his debut Test ton at age 35, as an example of the strength of Australia's cricket. I'd argue the opposite. Australia's need to turn to an advanced-aged cricketer in Voges - and others like him previously - is an indication the system is failing to produce enough "Test-match ready" young batsmen.
Australia was once a leading proponent of the "pick 'em young and watch 'em flourish" philosophy. That's no longer the case and the ancient arrivals - Marcus North, Ed Cowan, Rob Quiney, George Bailey, Chris Rogers, Alex Doolan and now Voges - is evidence the system is, if not broken, at least in need of serious attention.
The last batsman selected for Australia in his early 20s was Steven Smith but he made his debut as a legspinner, batting at No. 8. David Warner was reasonably young when he commenced Test cricket, but he first came to prominence as a T20 batsman.
Before that, the prolific young Australian batsmen who arrived via the traditional route were Michael Clarke, and prior to him, Ricky Ponting. The presence of Ponting, Clarke and Smith on that list highlights one of the important reasons for producing batsmen capable of receiving their baggy green cap when they're around 21. These types of players are potential captains because by the time they reach 27, the ideal age to begin leading, they're both experienced and mature cricketers and still in their playing prime.
The Indian production line of young batsmen is the gold standard in cricket [COPYRIGHT SIGN] Getty Images
There are many good reasons to ensure there's a constant supply of young cricketers being fed into the first-class system who have the potential to reach international standard. The infusion of youth into a cricket team invigorates the older players in the side, and at international level it titillates the fans. The arrival of a young Sachin Tendulkar or a Ponting enthuses the supporters so they either hurry to the ground or watch them on television in order to make a personal evaluation of the player.
These players are not only the immediate future, when they produce exciting performances they also inspire the next generation to try and emulate their feats.
Older debutants have a tendency to succeed in the short term - they've been around long enough to know how to accumulate runs or snag wickets - but this success tends to not be long-lasting. There's usually a simple reason why a guy doesn't debut in Test cricket before 30: he has not been good enough to oust the incumbents.
Selectors are constantly looking for exciting young players to inject into a national side. They do so both to improve the immediate performance and also to ensure there isn't a logjam of older players who all have to be replaced around the same time.
Presently no team but India could have replaced Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Virender Sehwag and Sourav Ganguly in such a short space of time and still retained a prolific batting line-up. The Indian production line of young batsmen is the gold standard in cricket, while the Pakistan selectors are the most ambitious when it comes to taking a chance on youth.
The technique and flair of the good young Indian batsmen suggests they have been spared the "assembly line" style of coaching. There's much to recommend in the inventiveness of the golf ball and stump training of the young Don Bradman, or a youthful Garry Sobers using a wooden picket to hit a rock wrapped in tape on the rough back streets of Barbados, or the baby-faced Tendulkar regularly batting in different matches on the same day as he honed his skills on the Mumbai maidans.
Ageing batsmen like Voges make a good story when they successfully debut but the best teams are usually a combination of experienced and youthful cricketers. Australia need to look at a more flexible system of producing and grooming young batsmen because it requires many good ones playing at first-class level to provide a few of international standard.
Former Australia captain Ian Chappell is now a cricket commentator for Channel 9, and a columnist
[COPYRIGHT SIGN] ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
IAN CHAPPELL
100 Facebook Twitter
It's time to start investing in younger batsmen capable of succeeding at Test level instead of turning to ageing players who are bound to have a short shelf life
Michael Clarke was handed a debut at 22 and by 30 he was good enough to captain Australia full time [COPYRIGHT SIGN] Getty Images
A commentator on the West Indies-Australia Test series cited the success of Adam Voges, with his debut Test ton at age 35, as an example of the strength of Australia's cricket. I'd argue the opposite. Australia's need to turn to an advanced-aged cricketer in Voges - and others like him previously - is an indication the system is failing to produce enough "Test-match ready" young batsmen.
Australia was once a leading proponent of the "pick 'em young and watch 'em flourish" philosophy. That's no longer the case and the ancient arrivals - Marcus North, Ed Cowan, Rob Quiney, George Bailey, Chris Rogers, Alex Doolan and now Voges - is evidence the system is, if not broken, at least in need of serious attention.
The last batsman selected for Australia in his early 20s was Steven Smith but he made his debut as a legspinner, batting at No. 8. David Warner was reasonably young when he commenced Test cricket, but he first came to prominence as a T20 batsman.
Before that, the prolific young Australian batsmen who arrived via the traditional route were Michael Clarke, and prior to him, Ricky Ponting. The presence of Ponting, Clarke and Smith on that list highlights one of the important reasons for producing batsmen capable of receiving their baggy green cap when they're around 21. These types of players are potential captains because by the time they reach 27, the ideal age to begin leading, they're both experienced and mature cricketers and still in their playing prime.
The Indian production line of young batsmen is the gold standard in cricket [COPYRIGHT SIGN] Getty Images
There are many good reasons to ensure there's a constant supply of young cricketers being fed into the first-class system who have the potential to reach international standard. The infusion of youth into a cricket team invigorates the older players in the side, and at international level it titillates the fans. The arrival of a young Sachin Tendulkar or a Ponting enthuses the supporters so they either hurry to the ground or watch them on television in order to make a personal evaluation of the player.
These players are not only the immediate future, when they produce exciting performances they also inspire the next generation to try and emulate their feats.
Older debutants have a tendency to succeed in the short term - they've been around long enough to know how to accumulate runs or snag wickets - but this success tends to not be long-lasting. There's usually a simple reason why a guy doesn't debut in Test cricket before 30: he has not been good enough to oust the incumbents.
Selectors are constantly looking for exciting young players to inject into a national side. They do so both to improve the immediate performance and also to ensure there isn't a logjam of older players who all have to be replaced around the same time.
Presently no team but India could have replaced Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Virender Sehwag and Sourav Ganguly in such a short space of time and still retained a prolific batting line-up. The Indian production line of young batsmen is the gold standard in cricket, while the Pakistan selectors are the most ambitious when it comes to taking a chance on youth.
The technique and flair of the good young Indian batsmen suggests they have been spared the "assembly line" style of coaching. There's much to recommend in the inventiveness of the golf ball and stump training of the young Don Bradman, or a youthful Garry Sobers using a wooden picket to hit a rock wrapped in tape on the rough back streets of Barbados, or the baby-faced Tendulkar regularly batting in different matches on the same day as he honed his skills on the Mumbai maidans.
Ageing batsmen like Voges make a good story when they successfully debut but the best teams are usually a combination of experienced and youthful cricketers. Australia need to look at a more flexible system of producing and grooming young batsmen because it requires many good ones playing at first-class level to provide a few of international standard.
Former Australia captain Ian Chappell is now a cricket commentator for Channel 9, and a columnist
[COPYRIGHT SIGN] ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
