There are rumours going around that Chris Rogers will be tossed from the Australian test side in favour of Phil Hughes, according to this article by The Public Apology’s chief publishing rival, The Roar.
I’ve written about this before: the need for Rogers, the final vestige of yesteryear. How he represents more than just a safe pair of hands, but a link to Australia’s golden generation.
The Public Apology is still reeling from the untimely dismissal of Simon Katich from the Australian test squad. Katich was a political dissident who got on the wrong side of the powers that be, and paid the ultimate price.
Katich’s anxious, edgy nature and adversarial attitude was great for Australian cricket. His batting, too, (he averaged over 50 in the 12 months prior to his axing) was bloody good – and more importantly, dependable.
Balance is good for any sporting team, in fact, any organisation in general. As every rugby league coach knows, a successful team is one with a “good mix of young blokes and old heads.”
Ideally, this team will have a couple of older players in the squad with children of their own (it is well-known that having “a few kids bouncing around at training” is generally good for morale), who can provide mentorship for the looser 18-year-old kids easily seduced by the bright lights of Northies etc.
It’s the same in business, too. If your sales force is choc full of Gen Y wankers, sure you might have a good couple of fiscal quarters. But irrational, chemical-fuelled self-confidence is not a long-term strategy, which is why most traders and stock-brokers burn out at 30, depressed and dishevelled after a rehab stint, longing for something more meaningful in their career.
Really, you need a mix of young and old; a blend of arrogant, brash personalities and bloody good blokes.
The Australian team was so successful in the 2000s because of its tasteful blend. Shane Warne and Mark Waugh were obviously both flamboyant, narcissistic geniuses, with this arrogance tempered by the likes of solid, perennial good blokes Justin Langer and Mike Hussey. Meanwhile, Damien Martyn was widely considered a rare bloke who kept to himself, with this introverted personality balanced out nicely by the likes of extroverts Symonds and Hayden.
Rogers is more than just a great opener. He is the older, skin-damaged head we need – and the perfect conservative counterpart to our current crop of fucktards brash, confident young men.
He’s Katich-lite, but he’ll do for now.
By Dave Edwards
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