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Ricky Ponting has warned there may be some dire times ahead for Australian cricket as he urged selectors to bring in some new blood for the upcoming Ashes series before it is too late.
The importance of selectors’ management of generational change has long been a burning issue, with selectors sparingly turning to youth in recent years.
Last summer, Australia blooded just two youngsters, Nathan McSweeney and Sam Konstas, but they were both dropped on separate occasions.
McSweeney was picked to play as an opener, despite never batting there before being axed.
While Konstas was dumped for the World Test Championship final against South Africa before being parachuted back into the team for the series against the West Indies, where he failed miserably, making just 50 runs at an average of 8.33 across the three Tests.
Those around Konstas at the top of the order are equally struggling with Marnus Labuschagne dropped for the series against the West Indies due to poor form, while Usman Khawaja averaged just 19.5 against the Windies.
And Ponting has called for selectors to blood youth against England, warning that the country must plan for a mass exodus of veterans.
“Yes, I think it is (important to start blooding new talent). But it’s heading down that path now where we might see five or six of them go at once,” Ponting.
“ … I think this could be Khawaja’s last summer; he could be one of the first ones to go.
“The bowling group has been together and been successful for so long, Cricket Australia (also) needs to manage that. I’m sure they’ve had discussions around that already, and if they haven’t, they should’ve.
“Trying to rebuild a team with five or six champions like that out of the team at once is not easy.”
The former Australian captain knows all too well the damage a major exodus can do, as he was the skipper of the Test team after Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne and Justin Langer all retired following a 5-0 Ashes home clean sweep in 2007.
Then, in the 2008-09 summer, the Australian side won just three of nine Tests and one of six ODIs.
Australia faces brutal changing of the guard
The reality is that in a couple of years the Australian side will again go through a tumultuous period.
And that is somewhat the fault of selectors, who have stuck with largely the same tried and tested squad time and time again, while turning to veterans instead of youth when injury strikes.
In the World Test Championship final earlier this year, Cam Green was the only Aussie under the age of 30 in the team.
And when one of the pace trio of Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins or Josh Hazlewood has been injured or rested, selectors have turned to Scott Boland and Michael Neser, who are deep into their 30s, instead of giving a young bull a run.
And then there’s tweaker Nathan Lyon, who is 37, posing yet another headache.
The shortage of young top-order batsmen in Australia is also a major concern, which has become clearer than ever in the search for David Warner’s long-term replacement.
McSweeney was given the first opportunity to impress at the start of last summer, but he was dropped for the fourth Test against India after failing to register a big score.
His axing saw Konstas given an opportunity.
And while the teen is incredibly raw, he is someone selectors almost have to stick with given his youth and obvious potential.
It is particularly crucial he gets a chance to make the spot his own, given the fact Steve Smith, Labuschagne, Travis Head, Beau Webster and Alex Carey are all well into their 30s and will likely call time on their careers in the years to come.
But whether or not Australian selectors begin the changing of the guard before or after the Ashes remains to be seen, especially given the shortage of players knocking down the door.
So, most likely than not, come Game 1, the team sheet will be the same stars who have pulled on the baggy green in recent years.
The first Test against England begins on November 21 at Optus Stadium in Perth.
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