Ian Healy calls for return of iconic Australian institution to address ageing cricket side
The Aussie cricket legend is growing increasingly frustrated by the state of the game.
Aussie great Ian Healy has called for Cricket Australia to reintroduce the national academy in a bid to nurture and develop the young players coming through the ranks. Several years ago the academy ceased to exist for a plethora of reasons, but Healy believes following the dire performance in the Perth Test and with Australia's squad ageing, it is time for it to be brought back in.
Years ago young stars spent 8 to 10 months a year refining their cricketing skills before returning to their home state to play club cricket. From there the aim was to break into the Sheffield Shield side before turning their attention to the ultimate goal of pulling on a baggy green for Australia.
But with the lure of several international tournaments where players are paid absurd sums of money for competitions that last months if not weeks, young Aussie stars such as Jake Fraser-McGurk gear their game towards the short form of the game. But Healy believes Cricket Australia needs to invest in something similar to the old school academy not just for Australia's Test future but cricket in this country in general. He pointed to the fact the National Cricket Centre helped turn the likes of Michael Slater, Shane Warne, Damien Martin, Greg Blewett, Brett Lee and Ricky Ponting into global superstars as why it needs to come back.
"We need it again now to up-skill promise and to create performance," Healy said on SEN radio on Thursday. "Players like Corey Rocchiccioli, Sam Konstas, and Ollie Davies all have qualities upon which to expand and finish off. Then there's the brand-new brigade, it’s time to get national coaching eyes on Hugh Weibgen, Harry Dixon and Nivethan Radhakrishnan. Lloyd Pope also still represents some value in the eyes of Tim Paine.
"Young quicks are quite plentiful too. Fergus O'Neill, Sam Elliot, Callum Vidler, Mahli Beardman, Tom Straker and Tom Whitney. This generation could be forced then into their state teams and beat plenty of longer-term performers into national selection at this phase of our cycle. All formats can be worked on and players most suited to one or two of those three formats we've got could join for a fortnight per year.
"My thoughts are this is for three months. Training, strengthening and playing where performance is the key indicator and the key focus. Get them in from mid-May to mid-August to be mentored into what's needed to succeed at the highest level. Our cricket smarts and innovation have stalled, and the dearth of trusted openers last month was a sure sign that our performance depth is light. Let's not wait any longer to know who can be next. The return of the Academy must be on the table."
Australia have a seriously ageing squad
Healy's comments come as the Australian Test side continues to age with almost every squad member entering one of if not their final summer of Test cricket. Each of Australia's bowlers who played in the first Test against India are in their 30s and those who are next in line, Scott Boland and Michael Neser, are 35 and 34 respectively.
It is a similar story for the batsmen, with Marcus Harris and Cameron Bancroft the openers in line for a call-up if a spot becomes available. But both of them are in their 30s, further showcasing the dire state of Australia's future cricket stocks.
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The current Test side has seven players aged between 33 and 37. Josh Hazlewood, Mitch Marsh and Alex Carey (all 33), Mitchell Starc (34), Steve Smith (35), Nathan Lyon (36) and Usman Khawaja (37). Australia fielded their oldest Test XI in a century at the beginning of last summer, with the average age hovering around the 33-year-old mark for all five home Tests and the ensuing two in New Zealand.
It was the same story this year, with the Australian side that took the field against India only having a single player under the age of 30, Test debutant Nathan McSweeney. And it will be much of the same in the second Test, as the only potential change is seemingly that Mitchell Marsh may not be fit. In his place will either come Josh Inglis (29) or Beau Webster (30). So it is clear something needs to be done to nurture the young cricketers in Australia and funding a new Academy could be Cricket Australia's way of preventing a sharp fall-off when the majority of the Australian squad retire in the years to come.
