Pick younger players: Warne tells Test selectors

Spin legend Shane Warne today urged Australian cricket selectors to take some brave decisions and show faith on the youth by including youngsters in the Test side.

Pick younger players: Warne tells Test selectors

Spin legend Shane Warne today urged Australian cricket selectors to take some brave decisions and show faith on the youth by including youngsters in the Test side.

Former skipper Ricky Ponting and senior batsman Mike Hussey are currently struggling with form but they are likely to be retained for the Boxing day Test against India.

However, Warne said youth is the way forward for Australia, which succumbed to a seven-run loss to New Zealand in Hobart yesterday.

"Some brave decisions need to be made in the interests of Australian cricket to make sure that the best things happen and Australian cricket is strong," Warne was quoted as saying in the Australian Associated Press.

"For us it's about having stability, picking some younger players and stick with them and give them a chance."

The 41-year-old Warne said poor performance will always come under the scanner and one has to be prepared to make way for a better player for the betterment of the team.

"When you're winning you can carry a bowler, you can carry a batsman. When you start losing like we have in the last two series, getting bowled out for 47 [against South Africa] and then couldn't get a couple of hundred [scoring 233 chasing 241 to win in Hobart]. "When that happens everyone gets put under scrutiny. If you've been performing then you'll be okay. If you haven't been performing you're going to come under the microscope to get dropped and someone else is going to get a go," he said.

"That's life. Cricket is a performance-based game. If you don't perform you shouldn't be playing. They [the selectors] have to say who's available, who can take their place, are we going to make the team stronger? "Have we hung on to someone too long? Is there someone else we need to get in there? All those types of questions will be asked so it's a tough one for the selectors," he added.

"Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels