Ian Healy believes that Australia's constant chopping & changing is purely down to selectors' wish to see things get better sooner rather than later. The former wicketkeeper-batsman thinks there has been a lot of results-based decision making from the Cricket Australia(CA) selection panel, which hasn't helped the players' confidence at all.
Australia has handed Test caps to 58 players since 2007, while only 15 cricketers earned the special baggy green from 2000-2007.
There is turmoil in the system after the ball-tampering incident in South Africa and they just recently lost their first home Test series to an Asian country in 71 years.
"Australia is searching for quick fixes. The selectors are not sure who is going to be good enough, so they keep trying options. It is not good enough," Healy, who played 119 Tests for Australia, told Sportstar, "Australia is operating similarly to the mid-80s, when we had retirements and South African rebel tours."
"We have not lost as many players this year, yet we still do not seem to know who is good enough to create a (Test) career. When your two best players return, everyone's confidence lifts and they play closer to their potential."
Australia lost the four-match Test series to India, 2-1, but Healy has faith in skipper Tim Paine and head coach Justin Langer to take them forward and cast aside the dark shadows of recent times.
"Paine was very good as a leader and kept his game going well too. It required great energy and that’s what he gave it. He just couldn’t get his batsmen to believe they could do the job needed. He would have realised just how tired he was a day or two after the series!" he added.
Even former captain Ricky Ponting had pointed out to the lost self-belief in the Australian camp and rued the lack of desperation in this side.
"This team had no confidence. They don’t look desperate because they are anxious too often. Batsmen getting starts then batting not getting easier and bowlers not building pressure to create collapses," Ponting had said.
"Everything seemed difficult for them. They probably don’t know how to play with clear heads and execute their plans properly, let alone be desperate."
