warne and Glen...

[theguyinallblue]

with these two greats finally deciding to retire ....from all forms of the game before WC.. what are the chances of AUS in WC ..and in test series in general..? i feel their dominance will finally be over...or it won't be very imposing..and few well fought tests will be in the offerring...atleast when india plays them next in ozzie land... SA..Eng..Pak..SL...all now seems to to have fire power to counter aussies.. lets see what happens....but yeah...definitely they can not replace glen and warne in decades...

[Predator_05]

Re: warne and Glen... Losing two bowlers with 1250 scalps between them leaves quite a void to fill, and if other teams lost such influential cricketers they would go into a period of decline almost immediately (think India post-Dravid & SRT or even Pak post-WC '03). Australia however, aren't like other teams in the sense that they will always be better equipped to handle such losses because of their world-class FC cricket structure. Their cricket system is like a well-oiled machine. The selectors know how to blood talent at the right time - earmarking potential matchwinners and introducing them in the presence of the seniors. This way, they manage to gain invaluable experience, learn to become part of a winning team, and are apprised of their responsibilites. As a result - their transistion to international cricket becomes relatively seamless, and the team is able to continue it's winning ways. For an example - look at how easily Stuart Clark slotted in for McGrath recently...or how Michael Clarke showed nerves of steel in his debut ODI series, winning Australia the 1st final of the '03 VB Series...not to mention his test debut vs India @ Bangalore !! They lost Mark and Steve Waugh in the space of 2 years - almost 19,000 runs between them - and never felt the pinch. The reason why Australia can sustain it's success for such prolonged periods of time is because their cricket is all about the team and never about individuals. Such virtues are ingrained in their minds right from their childhood. They don't celebrate individual glories, hence their veterans don't rest on their laurels and voluntarily leave when they know their time is up. The true legends are the ones who are able to go out on their own terms - ie; the McGraths, the Warnes. A cricket mad nation such as theirs will never be short on talent, so that rules out a Windies-style decline. They also have the right people in the right places - the administrators of Aussie cricket have learnt their lessons from the barren 70's and 80's and don't intend on making the same mistakes they did back then. Rest assured, Australia will maintain it's dominance for many more years to come.

[theguyinallblue]

Re: warne and Glen... the picture will be clear in the world cup for the ODIs..and in the test series they will play after WC.. i know they will still be competitive unit..but the kind of invincible tag they have today...not very sure they can hold on to that tg for long without the GWs... india showed what they are without warne and glen.. last ashes...englanf won those matches where glen did not play... so no doubt that their dominance will diminish...and it will be worth watching how they cope up with the loss...

[The Outsider]

Re: warne and Glen... Austrlia's chances in the WC wont be affected in the slightest. ODIs are a batsman's game and their batting lineup is by far the best in the world. They've also got in Lee, arguably the best ODI bowler in the world and a nice solid support cast. Tests are a different story. Unlike what many think, the absence of McGrath is going to hurt them more than Warne. A truly phenomenol cricketer with the ability to consistently take out top order batsmen. They are still going to be a very good test side but will not achieve immortality again with Warne, McGrath, and Gilchrist gone in addition to Langer, Hayden, and Martyn.

[maatugaara]

Re: warne and Glen... yup....let them enjoy their last days of dominance...then i think they will feel how the westindies would have felt at one time... but,honestly,they will remain a strong unit despite the top guns going..