Australia’s phenomenal cricket talent from the ’90s highlights the present dearth of talent

[giri26]

In the early 1990s, the World Series was an integral part of summer and Australia played two teams – often the national team and an A side facing each other in the finals.

In the 1994-95 tri-series, against England and Zimbabwe, Paul Reiffel opened the bowling with the big Merv Hughes for the Australian A team, Gavin Robertson bowled spin, while Michael Slater had a very good series opening the batting for the Australian national side.

But it was Australia’s A team that really sums up the country’s strength at the time, with Greg Blewett, Darren Lehman, Justin Langer, Michael Bevan, Ricky Ponting, Matthew Hayden and Damien Martyn all featuring.

It was phenomenal to see two world-class teams from the same country in the same competition – no wonder the Aussies dominated world cricket for about 15 years.

The type of players who the Aussies had to leave out in the ’90s included Stuart McGill, who was extremely unlucky to have been from the same era as legendary Shane Warne – he would have walked into the current Aussie Test side. Likewise, Stuart Law and Darren Lehman would have no trouble making the present Test and ODI sides.

Somehow, Australia has struggled to keep the talent flowing since the retirement of legends such as Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, and Adam Gilchrist. Sure, these players are hard to replace, but the talent in the current generation pales to the one before it.

 

[MenInG]

In the early 1990s, the World Series was an integral part of summer and Australia played two teams – often the national team and an A side facing each other in the finals.

In the 1994-95 tri-series, against England and Zimbabwe, Paul Reiffel opened the bowling with the big Merv Hughes for the Australian A team, Gavin Robertson bowled spin, while Michael Slater had a very good series opening the batting for the Australian national side.

But it was Australia’s A team that really sums up the country’s strength at the time, with Greg Blewett, Darren Lehman, Justin Langer, Michael Bevan, Ricky Ponting, Matthew Hayden and Damien Martyn all featuring.

It was phenomenal to see two world-class teams from the same country in the same competition – no wonder the Aussies dominated world cricket for about 15 years.

The type of players who the Aussies had to leave out in the ’90s included Stuart McGill, who was extremely unlucky to have been from the same era as legendary Shane Warne – he would have walked into the current Aussie Test side. Likewise, Stuart Law and Darren Lehman would have no trouble making the present Test and ODI sides.

Somehow, Australia has struggled to keep the talent flowing since the retirement of legends such as Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, and Adam Gilchrist. Sure, these players are hard to replace, but the talent in the current generation pales to the one before it.

Maybe its the fact that other teams have progressed also?

 

[pakistanigoneaussie]

Australia got fortunate

Warne, Gilly, and Mcgrath are all players that could be in the hypothetical " greatest XI of all time"

This to go with ATGs like Hayden, Ponting and so on

Rather then there being a dearth of talent, I just think Australia has been brought back to reality

 

[Ocelot]

Rather then there being a dearth of talent, I just think Australia has been brought back to reality

Brought back to reality by winning a world cup in 2015?

 

[big_gamer007]

Australia produced too many greats during that period, much like WI of 80's where they had many greats playing in same line up..

It's hard to keep producing such talent consistently but Australia still are a pretty good side in certain conditions..

 

[wrongun]

We had a freak period true, but we also had an absolute ruthless structure in club & state cricket at the time. Kids played against men to fight up to grade cricket (with most clubs fielding ex-current shield & test players at every opportunity) without any holding back. If they did well, then they could think about Shield cricket.

And you earnt your spot in the shield, no quotas, limits. no favouring the young. 5 teams trying to win and that's all. No room for dead wood or softies in a 5 team national FC comp, none at all.

But a lot has changed in our grassroots & lower level cricket. Now even our junior cricketers have bowling quotas so never develop properly and break down more than ever.

Kids don't have to fight their way up through clubbies, past all the mean old hands to earn a shield spot- they get talent identified and sent to the academy and then parachuted in to teams on the basis of talent development.

It's all a bit soft to sum it up. The focus has shifted entirely toward elite top end and everything else is treated just as a token pathway or conveyer belt- when it USED to be a fair dinkum competition at every level- club cricket was to win & no-one gave a stuff who you were or how good you were supposed to be. Shield was a battle. And it was that ruthless COMPETITION, with a need to win at every level that shaped the way we played and the cricketers we produced.

Now the BBL is given priority and the Shield is mucked around with at weird times of the season, played with Duke ball sin non-shed tour years, players are pulled out mid-game or denied the right to play or instructed to pick XYZ young players. In short, it's no longer a real competition to win, but s series of practice games to show off to selectors or IPL/BBL scouts.

And we are reaping what the board had sown.

 

[pakistanigoneaussie]

Brought back to reality by winning a world cup in 2015?

They aren't all-conquering anymore and are nowhere near the same force in tests.

Like pretty much every side in cricket they are home track bullies

 

[hitthestump]

We had a freak period true, but we also had an absolute ruthless structure in club & state cricket at the time. Kids played against men to fight up to grade cricket (with most clubs fielding ex-current shield & test players at every opportunity) without any holding back. If they did well, then they could think about Shield cricket.

To be fair one of the biggest criticisms of Pakistan cricket has been it's senior culture which stops talent from coming through. I see your point but it works both ways.

 

[WhenSultansBowled]

Brought back to reality by winning a world cup in 2015?

Indians are tired of delivering them phainta after phainta, each time they visit India.

And what Pakistan did to them in UAE was painful to watch even as a die hard Pakistan fan A Pakpassion XI would have given a tougher fight

Compare this game with this one for contrast.

 

[GoUgandaCranes]

Indians are tired of delivering them phainta after phainta, each time they visit India.

And what Pakistan did to them in UAE was painful to watch even as a die hard Pakistan fan A Pakpassion XI would have given a tougher fight

Compare this game with this one for contrast.

if it were to be a keyboard war, yes. a real cricket match, a definite no.

 

[Bewal Express]

Just one fact says it all about Aus strength in the 90s- Stuart Law only played one test.

 

[Gilly]

Indians are tired of delivering them phainta after phainta, each time they visit India.

Well do something different and give them a phainta in Australia.

 

[Dingolfy]

We had a freak period true, but we also had an absolute ruthless structure in club & state cricket at the time. Kids played against men to fight up to grade cricket (with most clubs fielding ex-current shield & test players at every opportunity) without any holding back. If they did well, then they could think about Shield cricket.

And you earnt your spot in the shield, no quotas, limits. no favouring the young. 5 teams trying to win and that's all. No room for dead wood or softies in a 5 team national FC comp, none at all.

But a lot has changed in our grassroots & lower level cricket. Now even our junior cricketers have bowling quotas so never develop properly and break down more than ever.

Kids don't have to fight their way up through clubbies, past all the mean old hands to earn a shield spot- they get talent identified and sent to the academy and then parachuted in to teams on the basis of talent development.

It's all a bit soft to sum it up. The focus has shifted entirely toward elite top end and everything else is treated just as a token pathway or conveyer belt- when it USED to be a fair dinkum competition at every level- club cricket was to win & no-one gave a stuff who you were or how good you were supposed to be. Shield was a battle. And it was that ruthless COMPETITION, with a need to win at every level that shaped the way we played and the cricketers we produced.

Now the BBL is given priority and the Shield is mucked around with at weird times of the season, played with Duke ball sin non-shed tour years, players are pulled out mid-game or denied the right to play or instructed to pick XYZ young players. In short, it's no longer a real competition to win, but s series of practice games to show off to selectors or IPL/BBL scouts.

And we are reaping what the board had sown.

This.Couldnt beleive my eyes when I saw how soft Australians were when they recenlty came to India and also your recent struggles against horizontal movement whethers its spin or swing.Also do you thing current Aussie generation have softened up a lot?One of my friend worked in Australia and said more and more youngsters are addicted to video games and sit indoor all day rather than going outdoor, especially in big cities.

 

[giri26]

Maybe its the fact that other teams have progressed also?

I don't think that is true. I feel that cricket as a whole has become little poor in this generation. We have batsmen struggling if there is an inch of swing and getting terrified if there is an inch of spin. This was not the case in the 90's and also in the early part of 2000's. All the teams have regressed a bit which obviously has made the world cricket more exciting as teams are more closer to each other than ever. Pakistan, Australia and South Africa were much stronger in the 90's and in the noughties than what they are right now. Even India in the noughties were a much better side than what they are right now.

 

[Hasan123]

Replacing some many great cricketers was never going to be an easy task. But Australia have a good domestic structure, they'll always remain competitive and they will also produce cricketers who are mentally strong.

 

[Buffet]

It goes through cycle, but due to sporting culture Aus will have players coming.

 

[wrongun]

This.Couldnt beleive my eyes when I saw how soft Australians were when they recenlty came to India and also your recent struggles against horizontal movement whethers its spin or swing.Also do you thing current Aussie generation have softened up a lot?One of my friend worked in Australia and said more and more youngsters are addicted to video games and sit indoor all day rather than going outdoor, especially in big cities.

Absolutely agree we have softened up. Oz is a nanny state now (look at the amount of unnecessary warning signs around!).

I teach PE and the fitness and skill level at basic physical activity is much lower than it was even 10 years. There are still athletes but the average is much lower and the pool of students who do basically no real activity, struggle to throw, catch, do a single push up/chin up, or maintain a jog for even 1-2kilometers is absurdly high.

 

[The_Odd_One]

Even the likes of Law, Slater, Katich, McGill, Fleming, etc will be first choice players for most teams. Such great was their bench strength.