Pick best XI, not youngsters: Hussey

Test great Mike Hussey has urged Australia’s selectors pick the best XI possible regardless of age for the third Test and not make wholesale changes with an eye to the future.

Both Bupa Support Team Head Coach Darren Lehman and national selector Mark Waugh have confirmed there will be changes to the side that lost by an innings and 80 runs to South Africa in Hobart and surrendered the Commonwealth Bank Test series with a match left to play, which starts in Adelaide next Thursday.

Lehmann has said only four players – Steve Smith, David Warner, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood – are guaranteed spots, with first-drop Usman Khawaja also likely to retain his position in the starting XI.

The loss in Hobart was Australia’s fifth Test match defeat in row leading to selection chairman Rod Marsh to leave his post seven months before his contract was set to expire.

Trevor Hohns has been elevated to interim chairman to cover the outgoing Marsh, while former Australia captain Greg Chappell has been appointed as an interim selector.

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The new-look selection panel will have plenty to discuss between now and Sunday’s third-Test squad announcement, but Hussey says the priority is to pick a side that can win in Adelaide and restore the confidence that has been shattered by the Proteas.

“First of all, pick the very best XI players that we’ve got in the country, regardless of age,” Hussey told cricket.com.au.

“I’m not looking ahead to the Pakistan series, I’m not looking ahead to the India series or the Ashes.

“I want us to win the next Test match.

“In my mind that’s the most important because say if we lose again then there’s more and more talk about change then the confidence of the players will go down even more.

“The only way we can change the confidence of the players is if we start playing better, more consistently and we start winning games.

“So how do we win games? You’ve got to have the best players playing to start with.

“I certainly wouldn’t be looking at clearing everyone out, bringing in all the youngsters and making wholesale changes.

“If you’re picking guys who are not quite ready they’re going to be inconsistent with their performances and we’re going to lose more Test matches.”

While the selectors have four days of Sheffield Shield cricket to peruse the best talent in the country before selecting one of the most anticipated Australia Test teams in recent memory, rebuilding the confidence that’s completely vanished will take much longer, according to Hussey.

“We need to be prepared to play good, hard, basic disciplined Test cricket for long, long periods of time, whether that’s with the bat or the ball,” Hussey said.

“Show patience and discipline for long periods of time.

“We’ve got to look at every single ball as a contest whether we’re batting or bowling.

“Let’s try and win the next contest. Win that ball. Then try and win the next ball. And the next ball.

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“And suddenly if you start focusing on that process and you start focusing on the things you control, rather than the results or what might happen down the track, then you start getting a bit of consistency with your method and your process and you start getting your confidence back slowly.

“Just by winning one ball, and another ball, and then another ball.

“Suddenly, you’ve won 100 balls and the team is in a better position.

“Then you win 200 balls and you’re in a winning position in a Test match. 

“Then you win 500 balls and you win the Test match.

“We win the Test match, the talk in the press is a bit more positive.  Guys keep their place in the team and suddenly there’s a little bit more confidence there.

“But then we have to do that in the first Test against Pakistan. 

“Start again. Focus on winning that very next contest.

“It’s going to take time, but that’s how you slowly turn the tide and you get the confidence back in the players, get the confidence back of the public.

“Then the selectors have confidence that the players can play consistently for long periods and win Test matches for Australia.

“In my mind that’s exactly what we need to do.”