Published: Aug 13, 2013, 08:17 PM (IST)
Edited: Aug 13, 2013, 08:17 PM (IST)
Dirk Nannes said that the overhauling the approach to domestic cricket has led to Australia’s current predicament © Getty Images
Aug 13, 2013
Dirk Nannes, the former Australian fast bowler has said that Australia’s ongoing poor run can be attributed to some of the decisions they took four years ago. Nannes said that in 2009, the second XIs system was reworked and the tweaking in the approach is what has led to Australia’s current predicament.
Writing in his blog for All Out Cricket, Nannes expressed, “For me, the start of the decline began in 2009, when Cricket Australia changed the structure of their first-class breeding program – the state’s 2nd XI system. Greg Chappell was in charge at the Centre of Excellence and he headed a push for youth in all Australian programs.”
“As a result, the lauded state 2nd XI competition was overhauled to promote youth over experience. Old players had to make way, as the 2nd XI rules now required a team to have only three players over 23 years old. Greg’s belief was: ‘If you hadn’t made it by the age of 27, you were never going to make it… so why have them in the system?’,” Nannes revealed.
Nannes also said that the domestic teams then focused on the youth and pushed the experienced players to take other career options to sustain their families.
Nannes played a solitary One-Day International (ODI) and 17 T20 Internationals for Australia. Former Test batsman, Damien Martyn appreciated Nannes’ article while tweeting about it. Martyn also tweeted, “The problem started when certain officials / coaches / selectors starting talking age and ageing squad how they would love the old guys now”
