Young talent crime: Where is Australia?s generation next? - Sydney Morning Herald

Five players were nominated in all three squads: David Warner, Pat Cummins, James Pattinson and the Marsh brothers, Shaun and Mitchell. Steve Smith, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, Usman Khawaja and the late Phillip Hughes had all been earmarked for long international careers.

Cameron Green and Will Pucovski loom as 10-year Test players, but who else can that be said of for those aged 25 and under?

Cricketers generally do not peak until their late 20s, but world-class players tend to make their Test debuts well before then.

Pucovski, Green, Jhye Richardson and Matt Renshaw are the only under-25 players who have a baggy green. Compare this to the current generation: Cummins made his debut at age 18, Smith and Starc were 21, Hazlewood was 23, Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne and Travis Head were 24, and Warner 25.

From the golden era of the 1990s and 2000s, Steve Waugh, Ricky Ponting, Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Matthew Hayden, Justin Langer and Jason Gillespie had all been given a taste of Test cricket by the age of 25, even if they did not immediately succeed.

When selectors name their extended 25-player squad for the Ashes this month, it would be a surprise if there was a player under 25 outside of Green, Pucovski and Richardson.

Given the current group has not been able to dominate world cricket, it does not bode well for the next wave.

This was evident in the names nominated for a hypothetical XI for the 2025-26 Ashes on home soil. Selection for the next series is difficult enough, let alone four years down the track, but of the incumbent team, the insiders could be confident of only Cummins, 28, and Labuschagne, 27, still being there.

Of the senior players, Smith and Hazlewood were given the best hope of holding on, although there must be considerable doubt given they will be 36 and 34 respectively.

Tanveer Sangha, 19, (no relation to Jason), one of the few next-generation players for which there is unbridled excitement, is widely tipped to be a long-term leg-spinner.

Chappell points to India as the world benchmark for developing players. Fielding what many derided as a second XI, India toppled a full-strength Australia last summer because, Chappell said, their next tier of players had been hardened by numerous games in different conditions.

Waugh says there is plenty of talent coming through but wonders whether the pathway system is helping players build the mental resilience for top-level cricket and if it has taken the fun out of the game for youngsters. The former captain has a more intimate knowledge of the system than most, having watched his son Austin come through it and step away from the game.

His point about resilience was shared by several insiders spoken to by this masthead.

More broadly, Manou is confident the system is still working sufficiently to avoid radical changes, such as scrapping a state-based Shield for a first-class competition with the eight Big Bash League franchises, as suggested by Chappell.

CA will reestablish the Australia A program put on hold during the pandemic, Manou said, while the move to Vic Country and Vic Metro teams had helped that state compete against the AFL for young talent.

Possible Australian team for 2025-26 Ashes: Will Pucovski, Bryce Street, Marnus Labuschagne, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Jason Sangha, Josh Inglis, Pat Cummins (c), Jhye Richardson, Riley Meredith, Tanveer Sangha, Mitch Perry (12th).

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