Aussies brush over advanced decay
Writing in the Guardian , Mike Selvey says the Australian team is in danger of becoming a laughing stock after recalling four players to play South Africa
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
Writing in the Guardian, Mike Selvey says the Australian team is in danger of becoming a laughing stock after recalling four players to play South Africa. Post-Ashes, Australia had a chance to rebuild, but they have reverted to picking the same old faces. "Australia have gone back to the future and England who, even if it has been forced upon them, have moved on to the next generation."
And Selvey added:
"In backtracking, Hohns has done few favours for the credibility of a system once the envy of the world. Now the reaction is to recognise a shambles with no direction. In India we are seeing a series fought out between a blend of youth and experience on both sides, and it is invigorating to watch. Much the same applied in Pakistan before Christmas. The Australian machine, meanwhile, is becoming a laughing stock. Martyn, once acclaimed, can greet his selection with incredulity, while Brad Hodge, a double-century maker not so long since, has been discarded.
"A friend in South Africa with the Australia team told me they soon won't be asking the Australian side for birth certificates, they'll want carbon dating."
Martin Williamson is executive editor of ESPNcricinfo and managing editor of ESPN Digital Media in Europe, the Middle East and Africa