Hohns tips more 'changing of the guard'

Trevor Hohns, the chairman of selectors, expects Australia will face more "changing of the guard" over the next couple of years as the current core ages. The panel has dropped five regulars in the past five Tests as Australia recovers from the Ashes loss and plans for the future.

"We've always judged people on performance," Hohns said in The Australian. "That's the way it's been for a long, long time and that's the way it shall remain. We're probably going to see more of it in the next couple of years as well. Who knows how long some of the current players will go on for? It's really a changing of the guard."

The start of the new era has provided opportunities for Brad Hodge and Michael Hussey, but the dropping of Simon Katich and Michael Clarke has pushed the average age of the side for the third Test into the low 30s. The Australian reported that seven players had made their debut in Ricky Ponting's two years in charge, the same number as had started their Test careers under Steve Waugh.

Hohns said the age of the team was "irrelevant, particularly in Test cricket," and was more concerned about the back-up batsmen putting pressure on the incumbents. "If we can get Damien Martyn, Simon Katich and Michael Clarke all scoring runs in domestic cricket we've still got a lot of depth," Hohns told the paper. "That's what it's all about: creating depth to cover for when some of the other players eventually finish up."

Australia will pick their one-day squad for the Chappell-Hadlee Series this week and Damien Martyn is unlikely to tour after his broken ring finger has failed to heal. Hohns said in The Courier Mail Matthew Hayden's limited-overs career was not over, "but for the moment someone else is there and doing a reasonable job".