Aging Ashes squad sign of Australia's dwindling young talent

The Telegraph's Malcolm Conn laments the dearth of young talent in the country and hopes that the selectors afford an extended run in the team for Usman Khawaja. He praises the selectors for choosing form over age, regardless of how old some of the players are. The selection of Brad Haddin and Chris Rogers highlights this thought process.

The selectors have done some odd things recently, most notably dropping Nathan Lyon for the second Test in India, but they deserve credit for picking the Ashes squad on form regardless of age. Plenty of players have been given opportunities and failed to grasp them. Matthew Wade is the latest, having been demoted to reserve keeper behind Haddin after being chosen a year ago as his replacement.

The Telegraph UK's Scyld Berry plays down England's chances of completing a 5-0 sweep over Australia, saying that the inclusion of Brad Haddin and Chris Rogers has added much needed experience and steel to the batting order. Haddin knows his game inside and out and comes with a weatlh of experience, while Rogers has played for numerous English counties, and knows how to assess and handle the local conditions.

And if that Australia victory were to come early in the series, at 'the result ground' that is Trent Bridge, or at Lord's where they have lost only twice in the last hundred years (perhaps the most stunning team stat in cricket)… no, let's not go that way. England will retain the Ashes this summer, but it is going to be closer than it would have been if Australia had selected poorly.

Mike Selvey points out the pragmatic approach that the selectors have taken in his column in The Guardian, and that the losses of Ponting and Hussey have opened up questions as to which batsmen perform better in those roles. The inclusion of Chris Rogers is heralded, yet the batting still has an air of vulnerability to it.

It may be that the recall of Rogers, perhaps to bat there instead, is the most significant selection given the loss not just of Ricky Ponting but the great troubleshooter Mike Hussey. Rogers has considerably more experience in England than anyone else in the team with more than 100 first-class matches and averages above 50 here. It would be a rare Australian side that did not come up with at least one thorn for English flesh and here Middlesex's loss could certainly be Australia's gain.

Chloe Saltau in The Age believes the current Ashes selection was a sensible one as it took measures to cover deficiencies in the current squad, specially those relating to leadership and batting. Michael Clarke's degenerative back can play a factor in the packed tour, so it is vital to have some senior figures amongst the team to provide guidance when the going gets rough.

Like the elevation of Brad Haddin to vice-captain, Rogers' selection signals an unmistakeable change of course. A line in the sand might have been drawn in India with the suspension of the Mohali four, but the selectors have drawn theirs with the unveiling of a squad that reaches for seasoned, old-school cricketers and strong leaders.

In his column on Sky Sports, Nasser Hussain complements the Australian selectors on their picks for the Ashes tour, despite having limited options available. He still believes that England will hold the edge over Australia, but maintains that the scoreline will be tighter than what most expect, especially after Australia's whitewash defeat of 4-0 against India.

The comparative performances of England and Australia against pretty much the same Indian side this winter has got to say something ahead of the Ashes. If you asked India now who are the better side - the England team who beat them 2-1 or the Australian team they crushed 4-0 - they'll say England to a man. But an Ashes battle in English conditions is very different and I think this summer's series will be a lot tighter than some people are making out.