The Fall Of World Champs

The inevitable has happened. As the old adage goes "All good things will come to an end". The Aussie cricket team which has dominated the cricketing world for more than a decade has been brought down to earth. The team which once boasted of world class performers in all the departments of the game is struggling to stem the rot. Their bowling line up, already crippled by the loss of legends Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath has been rendered leaderless by the injuries to Brett Lee and Stuart Clark. As a result, the team is struggling to dismiss their opponents twice in test matches.

The batting line up which was one of the best in the world is now struggling to put up runs on the board on a consistent basis. The loss of form of opener Matthew Hayden (due to age) and of run machine Mike Hussey has put enormous pressure on skipper Ricky Ponting and his deputy Michael Clarke. The loss of talismatic all-rounder Andrew Symonds has not helped the team's cause. The team has been compling moderate totals due to the performance of their lower order batsmen. And this is surely a matter of great concern.

So now that Aussies has been brought down to earth, (They stand to lose their No1 ranking if they lose their ongoing test against SA) what needs to be done to strengthen the team from ground up? To make them the force they once were? The answer lies in inecting youth into the squad and allowing them the time to settle and adjust to the rigours of international cricket. Admittedly the performance level of the team will come down and the team will lose some matches. But this is much better way to build a team for the future other simply chopping and changing the players.

The out of form and ageing opener has to be replaced by young NSW opener Phil Hughes or Shaun Marsh as their have time on their side instead of opting for players who are in their late twenties or early thirties. The spinners Jason Krejza or Nathan Hauritz or Beau Casson should be given an extended run to prove their worth instead of selecting and discarding them at will. And young pacers like Ben Hilfenhaus will get better by having international experience under their belt.

The era of legends has come to an end. Its time to plan for the future and build a world beating team again from the scratch. With the huge talent at their disposal, it is definetly possible. The only question is whether the selectors will be brave enough to do it.