I think the kid has talent mate. However he has had such a cruisy rise through to NSW and now Australia at 20 years of age without actually doing anything of note.
It is not just him either. Adam Zampa of all people was picked for NSW yesterday against Sri Lanka. What the hell has he done to warrant NSW selection? Bowling Average of 43 last season for example.
Even Sean Abbott has barely done anything and has been in the NSW squad for pretty much every game this year.
Pretty much exactly what i am trying to say. Even mentions Zampa in the article.
http://www.smh.com.au/sport/cricket/australia-ditches-school-of-hard-knocks-at-its-peril-20101029-177ed.html
Australia ditches school of hard knocks at its peril
Peter Roebuck
October 30, 2010
CRICKET is losing its hard core in Australia. The push for youth has been so overpowering that a production line that was the envy of the cricketing world has been undermined. Promising players are in plentiful supply but their education has been softened. The school of knocks has been replaced by a world of flattery and unearned opportunity. Although the loss of great players has been the main factor in the fall from first to fifth place in the Test rankings, the weakening of the system means the journey back to the top will be long and uncertain.
Respected coaches, captains and elders believe that grade cricket has become club cricket and that teams are younger but not better. Previously, a talented youth was thrown into grade at a tender age whereupon the toughening process began, with cranky seniors and hard-talking opponents making or breaking them. Now first grade is dominated by peers. Dog eat dog has become puppy eat puppy.
One concerned coach points out that "Australian cricket has matured players better than anyone else because our youngsters played a lot of highly competitive backyard cricket with their mates, they practised a lot on their own - for example Bradman with his golf ball - and they play amongst men at an early age and were knocked into shape. The third strand has gone. They are still playing grade cricket early but it's amongst boys."
The road to hell is paved with good intentions. A few years ago Australian cricket became concerned that state teams were getting older and promising players were held back. Queensland had an average of 29. Steps were taken to improve the position. Most particularly the second XI was replaced by the Futures League, essentially an under-23 competition. Anyone older was regarded as redundant.
As a result, a lad can now rise through the ranks, play under-17 and under-19 for his state and reach the brink of Shield representation without playing any significant men's cricket. He can score hundreds and take wickets and be praised to the skies and still not have encountered a rugged opener with hundreds of matches under his belt or a canny speedster with a mind to examine upstarts.
Rather than trusting the system, Australia has bypassed it. Far from putting youngsters through the ringer of grade and second XI cricket, they put them in camps and try to "fast track them". For example, Tim Armstrong's all-round ability has long been recognised. Apparently, he made a fine impression at the high-performance centre in Brisbane whereupon the phones started ringing. Through no fault of his own, and without performing in grade cricket, he has been pushed and promoted into the NSW side ahead of his time. When he comes a cropper, the same advocates will shake their heads.
But talent-spotting is not the same as selection. Players emerge at different paces. Xavier Doherty is a case in point. He has improved with every passing year. In his case, patience and experience were required. Someone on the Apple Isle knows cricket, cricketers and youth. Armstrong might be the same, might take time to come to terms with his gift and his game. Instead, he could be undone by the desire to unearth golden boys.
Or consider the case of Adam Zampa, another impressive youngster, and a leg-spinner to boot. Australia is desperate to find a wrist spinner and suddenly he is pushed through from youth cricket into the NSW side. He is a resilient lad but he is also an apprentice. And he has not yet made his mark in grade cricket. Not many 18-year-old leggies prosper at that level.
Grade cricket, too, is not working as well as a testing ground. Previously, it was rare to find a teenager taking part. The old salts were too good. Now they have been pushed aside. Standards have slipped. Coaches from other states say the position is worse in their jurisdictions. English county cricketers used to take a year to adapt. Mike Gatting was an exception but he was also a top-class player. Now overseas players succeed in their first seasons.
Certainly the game has changed in the past few seasons. On Thursday David Warner spent his time in the club nets practising his T20 style, belting the ball into nearby building sites, batting right- and left-handed. He is rich and a hero to many. It's the world he knows and it has its advantages.
T20 appeals to youth and attracts a new crowd. It has also changed batting by producing the lofted straight hit executed with open shoulders, foot far from the ball and a cross bat.
But it's unwise to assume that the fundamentals have changed. Decades ago I watched a football match alongside a scout from Liverpool FC. Like every other fool, I was soon praising one young punk's flashing skills. Exasperated, my companion growled "Arright, but can he pass, tackle, head and shoot?" It was a good question. It always will be.
