Healy's challenge for Boon and CA Board

I've got one for Boony to dissect with his new board at Cricket Australia.

To interim Chairman David Boon, do we have a club hierarchy in the Australian team?

Since the coup by some senior players, a coach, and a physio, which relieved Justin Langer of his next contract, Australia has been brainwashed into thinking it's excessively hard to win away from home.

Where the hell has that come from? The coach and the captain have mentioned it again this week, yet if they didn't get knocked over for 99 and 111, they could've won in South Africa 3-0.

So, here are some things to think about.

Do we think our coach doesn't coach enough? He oversees a batting, a bowling, and a fielding coach. What's left? There mightn't be a whole lot.

Number two, our batsmen, they don't seem to be improving.

Number three, we still can't get new players going.

Last week, inexperience with talent worked really well in that Test, didn't it? Mainly for South Africa.

Rickelton, Mulder, and Harmer... all have played 27 or fewer Tests. We haven't been able to get that going.

Josh Inglis was a beauty for us in Australia, and the joy of his play is so obvious to everyone, and he does everything for the team. We need more of that.

There seems to be two or three of the selectors on the inside of this club, alongside senior players trying to pass judgment on Shield performers... from a comp they rarely play.

The gap between each of our levels of cricket these days is now bigger, and players are not playing down a level much at all.

Hence, club players don't run into Sheffield Shield attacks, and Test players don't take on the hardest challenge of playing Shield cricket when so much is expected of what you'll do, and you're quite tired of having to do it.

Hence, we don't get better.

Bored 28-year-olds are leaving clubs more than ever. They don't have the thrill of coming up against Sheffield Shield bowlers that might test them out, or they might be able to participate and perform incredibly well in the eyes of many.

I'm happy to respectfully tolerate aging and performance decline. Allan Border, Steve Waugh, Mark Taylor and Ricky Ponting all had a decline towards the end of their years.

But 12 months of tolerating it is surely plenty. We've waited double that in our top orders of the last four years.

The game must regenerate and excite young players and fans alike.

Older players, like the club, must keep up, and the club must lead this and love it. Not inhibit such excitement to keep cricket fresh.

Get out of your own way and your clubs, and think about the game and the future of it.