MELBOURNE: Australia will need to have tough talks about revamping an aging squad amid fears of a coming exodus of senior players, Cricket Australia’s next chief Todd Greenberg said.
Australia fielded just one under-30 bowler for debutant opener Nathan McSweeney in the first Test against India in Perth as Pat Cummins’ side were thrashed by 295 runs.
Greenberg, who will take over as chief executive Nick Hockley at the end of the summer, acknowledged the challenge facing Australia, while noting players enjoy longer careers due to better management.
“We’ve got an older squad, especially in red-ball cricket, and that’s not going to be easy,” Greenberg told Australian media in Adelaide on Thursday.
“There has to be tough, honest conversations between players and staff, and I think that’s happening, to be fair.
“However, the professionalism of modern athletes tends to take them longer in their careers; the way we take care of them, the way we rehabilitate them, the way they take care of themselves.
“I think it’s a very good balance.”
Australia have rested all their Test players from the entire T20 series played recently against Pakistan and a number of them from the One-Day International series with the aim of keeping the team fresh for the five-Test series against India.
Attendances were poor at white-ball matches, leading to intense criticism from the media and former players who accused cricket officials of cheating fans.
CA can improve its communications with the public even if selection decisions are often polarized, Greenberg said.
“We want to explain why we might do certain things,” he said.
“And again, that can polarize opinion. Sometimes people may not agree, and that’s okay, but I think it starts from the premise of us being really strong communicators.”