Buchanan wants to liven up one-day cricket

John Buchanan: admits to ugly cricket © Getty Images

John Buchanan, the Australian coach, has said that Australia played "ugly" cricket to win the VB Series recently, and that one-day cricket needs to be be spruced up. Speaking to AAP, he said: "I think it's a tired old format, but that's what the rules are and that's what we play to. Until somebody changes the game then really it's our duty to work out ways in which we can play better cricket within the existing format."

Buchanan admitted that Australia's performance in the recent triangular was less than appetising. "I think one thing we did do through the whole series was learn to play some ugly one-day cricket," he said. "Everybody's quite used to Australia dominating with the bat and then backing it up in the field with our defence, but I think this time it did show that while we didn't dominate with the bat our defence was [of a] pretty high standard right throughout the tournament. Overall I would have thought our batting is an area that can do with some improvement."

Buchanan said that the Australian selectors will take a long-term view when they meet to select the squad for the forthcoming tour of New Zealand. "We are looking to develop a broad squad so we might have 20-plus players that selectors can pick from come World Cup 2007, which means we cover all our bases and positions," he said. "The other principle will be trying to understand how we want to better play the game, balance of sides, makeups of sides, the types of players we need to do that and the strategies we want."

He refused to comment on Darren Lehmann, who, at 35, is in danger of having his career ended by the selectors. He was also non-committal about whether Matthew Hayden would play both Tests and one-dayers in the upcoming series. "[Hayden] wants to be part of that Australian one-day side," he revealed. "I think basically his foundations are good ... he's basically trying to deal with the mental side of his game."

On a broader issue, Buchanan was all for Twenty-20 cricket, but did not believe that it could replace one-day cricket. "It's part of the overall package that encourages people to enjoy cricket, to understand the game a little bit," he said. "It's a good part of the mix if used correctly. I think it provides some fun and excitement. It is a game that is condensed to a shorter period of time so I think that offers parents, families and clubs a real opportunity to encourage more people into the game."