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Sydney, Oct.29 : Australian cricket’s new chief selector John Inverarity has revealed that the door is open for all deserving and in form players, including axed former opener Simon Katich.
Suggesting that he was coming to the challenging assignment with a clean slate, Inverarity said: ''''As far as I am concerned, the door is closed on no one.''''
Inverarity, 67, who played six Tests for Australia and holds no grudges against the selectors of the time despite boasting a formidable record at Shield level, said: ''''I would have played a lot more Test matches if I had played better and been a better player.
'''' A college warden at the University of Western Australia before taking up his present assignment, Inverarity, whose three-year term includes two Ashes series, also foreshadowed a more stable environment for young players entering the Test team.
''''Selection is based on merit, you select on expectation of how that person is likely to perform and contribute to the team. At the same time you have to invest opportunity wisely,'''' the Sydney Morning Herald quoted him, as saying. ''''For example, as I recall Steve Waugh didn''t do particularly well for a number of Test matches but opportunity was invested in him and as it turned out it was invested very very wisely because there was obvious identification there of talent, not only talent but the right character and attitude that was going to come through,'''' he added.
Inverarity will start selecting teams after the Test series in South Africa, and before then will help pick two part-time selectors to join him on the panel with captain Michael Clarke and the new head coach. His immediate assignments include a home summer featuring Tests against New Zealand and India, but his most delicate task will be rebuilding for the future.
''''Any side you are selecting … you select for that next week, later in the season, later in the year, the next year and probably two or three years hence,'''' he said. ''''Youth is the lifeblood of all sports, so you need to keep an ideal balance in terms of age profile and how much longer people have got in their careers. You need to exercise very good judgment, invest opportunity wisely,'''' he added.
Suggesting that he was coming to the challenging assignment with a clean slate, Inverarity said: ''''As far as I am concerned, the door is closed on no one.''''
Inverarity, 67, who played six Tests for Australia and holds no grudges against the selectors of the time despite boasting a formidable record at Shield level, said: ''''I would have played a lot more Test matches if I had played better and been a better player.
'''' A college warden at the University of Western Australia before taking up his present assignment, Inverarity, whose three-year term includes two Ashes series, also foreshadowed a more stable environment for young players entering the Test team.
''''Selection is based on merit, you select on expectation of how that person is likely to perform and contribute to the team. At the same time you have to invest opportunity wisely,'''' the Sydney Morning Herald quoted him, as saying. ''''For example, as I recall Steve Waugh didn''t do particularly well for a number of Test matches but opportunity was invested in him and as it turned out it was invested very very wisely because there was obvious identification there of talent, not only talent but the right character and attitude that was going to come through,'''' he added.
Inverarity will start selecting teams after the Test series in South Africa, and before then will help pick two part-time selectors to join him on the panel with captain Michael Clarke and the new head coach. His immediate assignments include a home summer featuring Tests against New Zealand and India, but his most delicate task will be rebuilding for the future.
''''Any side you are selecting … you select for that next week, later in the season, later in the year, the next year and probably two or three years hence,'''' he said. ''''Youth is the lifeblood of all sports, so you need to keep an ideal balance in terms of age profile and how much longer people have got in their careers. You need to exercise very good judgment, invest opportunity wisely,'''' he added.
