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Cricinfo wrote:The changing nature of Australia's line-up has left the squad with only four men - Ponting, Hayden, Katich and Michael Clarke - who have played a Test in India. The players depart on September 21 and they will have two warm-up games and nearly a fortnight in India before the first Test in Bangalore, which starts on October 9.

After reading this line it hit me; The Australian team is losing its strength. The retirements are starting to impact now... a few years ago if a player was suspended or whatever (eg. Warne in the 2003 World Cup) it wasn't a huge problem. But now, losing Symonds leaves a big hole in the middle order. He and Gilchrist were the two that could really turn it on if the situation warranted it, now we have neither of them in the side.

Squad: Matthew Hayden, Phil Jaques, Ricky Ponting (capt), Michael Hussey, Michael Clarke, Simon Katich, Shane Watson, Brad Haddin (wk), Brett Lee, Jason Krejza, Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle, Bryce McGain, Stuart Clark, Doug Bollinger.

There's a lot of new names in that lineup, and against India (in India) it might be a challenge. Could this be where Australia loses its dominance?

brmtaylor.com admin wrote:Could this be where Australia loses its dominance?

To be honest, I hope so - it's not good for any sport for one team to be as dominant as Australia have been for the past while. Unless you're an Australia fan, of course.

maehara wrote:

brmtaylor.com admin wrote:Could this be where Australia loses its dominance?

To be honest, I hope so - it's not good for any sport for one team to be as dominant as Australia have been for the past while. Unless you're an Australia fan, of course.

Yes, well I'm not complaining

I think if we do go downhill a bit after this Indian tour, it will only be for a few years or so. Michael Clarke will be a fantastic captain for Australia, I've been a fan of his since before he made that 151 on debut (I look at him in Australian cricket as I do Brendan Taylor to Zimbabwe cricket) and I think he will lead Australia into another era of brilliance, just as Ponting and Waugh and Mark Taylor have before him.

Clarke won't have a team of champions though, he will have young guys like Henriques and Hilfenhaus and that's why it will take a few years (Hayden will have retired, Ponting and M. Hussey too or very close to it). Once the young players have been playing Tests for a while they will be guns, they are already three quarters of the way there as is the strength of the domestic competition.

I agree it's not good for sport for one team to be as dominant as Australia (which is why people go crazy when teams like Bangladesh and Zimbabwe upset Australia), but I think it means the bar has been raised and other teams should strive to reach it, not that Australia should lower the bar. I think England, South Africa and India are all rising to the challenge and in the coming years we will see some incredible battles. Sri Lanka has stayed about the same - middle rung team - while West Indies and Pakistan are going downhill, and will stay down for a while (West Indies has only been thrown a lifeline because of Twenty20 I think). Bangladesh and Zimbabwe have nowhere to go but up... 2 months ago while Taylor and Brown were still part of the setup I would have said Zimbabwe would be a genuinely decent team (Sri Lanka standard) in about 5 years, and a very good team in 10 years, because all that was needed was stability... they have the genuine potential superstars (Taylor, Chigumbura, Williams) and two established very good players (Taibu, Price)... but now I'm not so sure. Who knows what will happen in the next few years.