For years, Australia's dominance was based on the strength of its domestic cricket. Senior and junior players played hard, competed hard, played fair, and in doing so created an environment of toughness and competitiveness.
Former Australian fast bowler Stuart Clark has said the five-member committee appointed by Cricket Australia to conduct a review of the game at all levels in the country, and come up with remedial measures, will do well to take stock of what is happening at the domestic level, rather than go in for quick temporary fixes.
In an article for the Sydney Morning Herald, Clark says that with the World Cup gone and the Ashes gone, the team that was feared throughout the world for many years faces a tough question: How does it become the No.1 power again?
He says that the Don Argus-led review committee will be under pressure to find out the reasons for Australia's slide.
For years, Australia's dominance was based on the strength of its domestic cricket. Senior and junior players played hard, competed hard, played fair, and in doing so created an environment of toughness and competitiveness.
"As a young man coming into the game, you were provided with the best learning ground and when or if you made it to the next level, you were match-hardened and match-ready. Things have changed. Nowadays, unfortunately, the mantra is youth. Fundamentally, you cannot disagree with this ideal, but the fact is such an approach does have its limits, especially if applied too rigidly," says Clark.
Clark laments the fact that domestic cricket is seen simply as a developmental or experimental competition.
He says that the aim of players earning their spots must be reintroduced. Youngsters, he says must learn the game from veterans.
"If we continue to have six domestic teams filled with players of potential, but without leadership, direction or experience, we are losing the qualities senior players bring - ones that teach youngsters how to perform under pressure, how to be tough enough to compete at the highest level," says Clark.
"The panel will look at what happened this summer but cricket might well be better served if they concentrate on why the development of players seems to have stalled," he concludes.
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