Oz selectors will need to decide on Katich, Hussey’s future in national squad
March 30th, 2011 - 12:08 pm ICT by ANIMelbourne, Mar. 30 (ANI): How many ageing batsmen can Australian cricket carry as it seeks to regenerate itself after consecutive Ashes losses and the World Cup. That will be the question uppermost in the minds of Cricket Australia and the National Selection Panel (NSP) when they sit down to pick the touring squad for Sri Lanka.
Though outgoing skipper Ricky Ponting is likely to make the grade, given his awesome statistics in all forms of the game, according to The Age, a question mark will prevail over opener Simon Katich and middle order batsman Mike Hussey, who are both pushing 36.
Katich has been one of the most successful batsmen in the world since his reinvention as a Test opener, but 22-year-old Phillip Hughes convinced some important people that he might finally have developed the temperament and technique for Tests with a fine 138 for NSW in the recent Sheffield Shield final against Tasmania.
Ponting believes the experience of the older batsmen will be vital to the rebuilding process, and there is a forthright view among senior players that youngsters such as Hughes and Steve Smith need proper guidance.
Ponting said: ‘What I think you don’t and you can’t afford to ever have in a team is a mass exodus of all those sorts of players at once. ‘When we had all the greats [Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, Justin Langer] move at one time, it left us very bare and it’s been hard for us to rebuild … So I think it’s important … we don’t have myself, Huss, Kato and those guys all leaving together.’ (ANI)
- Hussey relieved of domestic duty ahead of S. Africa tour - Oct 10, 2011
- Langer asks 'fantastic" Hughes to ignore critics and play his natural game - Nov 21, 2009
- Oz Ashes disaster looms as batsmen crumble in domestic games ahead of opener - Nov 18, 2010
- Former players back Katich; why sack only him, asks Warne - Jun 09, 2011
- Sour Oz fans tweet out their frustrations over team's Ashes tumble - Dec 07, 2010
- Bailey replaces Clarke for Sunday's ODI against India (Lead) - Feb 17, 2012
- McGrath backs Ponting to lead Australia to an Ashes victory - Nov 07, 2010
- Hughes will make England pay for taunting him: Langer - Dec 10, 2010
- Hughes can't wipe the smile off his face after Oz recall - Dec 22, 2009
- Five Oz players available for Sheffield Shield, Ryobi Cup selection - Oct 06, 2011
- Sachin, Sehwag, Kapil in ODI dream team - Jan 05, 2011
- I will welcome responsibility of captaining Australia: Watson - Jan 30, 2011
- Clarke not averse to recalling Katich in Australian team - Dec 16, 2011
- Khawaja will be a standby for Ponting - Dec 21, 2010
- Food poison scare for Tasmanian cricketers - Mar 07, 2012
Tags: australian cricket, cricket australia, glenn mcgrath, huss, justin langer, kato, mass exodus, mike hussey, national selection, nsp, ponting, proper guidance, question mark, reinvention, selection panel, selectors, shane warne, sheffield shield, simon katich, steve smith