Conventional one-day cricket is tired and in
need of a spruce-up, Australian coach John Buchanan said today
(Monday).
Speaking a day after his world champion
Australian team had wrapped up its 13th triangular series in the
past 16 years, Buchanan said: "I think it’s a tired old format,
but that’s what the rules are and that’s what we play to.
"Until somebody changes the game then really
it’s our duty to work out ways in which we can play better
cricket within the existing format."
Buchanan said he did not believe 50-over cricket
should be replaced with the new Twenty20 format, which is well
established in England and has had several successful trials in
Australia in recent weeks.
"It’s part of the overall package that
encourages people to enjoy cricket, to understand the game a
little bit. It’s a good part of the mix if used correctly."
He said Twenty20 cricket was ideal for bringing
new people into the game.
"I think it provides some fun and excitement. It
is a game that is condensed to a shorter period of time so I
think that offers parents, families and clubs a real opportunity
to encourage more people into the game."
Buchanan admitted that Australia had played
"ugly" cricket in beating Pakistan 2-0 in the finals series
which concluded last night.
"I think one thing we did do through the whole
series was learn to play some ugly one day cricket.
"Everybody’s quite used to Australia dominating
with the bat and then backing it up in the field with our
defence, but I think this time it did show that while we didn’t
dominate with the bat our defence was pretty high standard right
throughout the tournament.
"Overall I would have thought our batting is an
area that can do with some improvement."
Australia’s selectors will meet tomorrow to
finalise the squad to be announced on Wednesday for the upcoming
tour to New Zealand, in which it will play five one-day
internationals and three Tests.
Buchanan said the squad would be picked with an
eye to the Ashes tour later in the year and a longer view
towards the World Cup in 2007.
"We are looking to develop a broad squad so we
might have 20 plus players that selectors can pick from come
World Cup 2007, which means we cover all our bases and
positions.
"The other principle will be trying to
understand how we want to better play the game, balance of
sides, makeups of sides, the types of players we need to do that
and the strategies we want."
Buchanan declined to speculate on whether
35-year-old Darren Lehmann would survive his recent patchy form,
or whether out-of-sorts Test opener Matthew Hayden would play in
both one-day and Test series on the other side of the Tasman.
"(Hayden) wants to be part of that Australian
one-day side. I think basically his foundations are good ...
he’s basically trying to deal with the mental side of his game."
Buchanan said Hayden was waiting for it all to
come together in an innings which would help him correct things
for himself.