Tony Becca

TONY GREIG and Ian Chappell are listed among the best cricketers of all time; they were, and still are, two knowledgeable cricketers; one captained England and the other Australia.

Both of them know about cricket, particularly the Australian, about cricket in Australia, and recently, in a Cricinfo's round-table discussion with India's Sanjay Manjrekar on what makes Australia tick, they came up with some interesting answers - answers which should be of special interest to those in the West Indies who love West Indies cricket and are interested in its development and the way to go about it.

"I've had lots of people tell me it's the academies and the coaches that make Australia tick, and my response to that is rubbish," said Chappell.

"The reason that Australia is so strong now is the same reason that they were in 1948, and it's to do with the system that produces these young cricketers," he said. "It produces good, competitive young cricketers, and if you go through those steps and do get to the top, then you've been tested in all conditions and you are pretty much set for what you can expect at the international level. I think that is the great strength of Australian cricket."

"I think that's spot on," said Greig.

"Recently, man for man, they have been more talented than their opposition. Youngsters in this country end up playing against men when they are still in school. That is a Test match in itself. This happens both in the country and in the cities, and it is an excellent system."

According to Greig, the club system is key to that system.

"The other thing that has happened, though it has been counteracted a bit in Australia, is that in a lot of schools around the world, cricket is not what it used to be.

"You therefore need a really strong club system to take up the slack, and Australia have got it. It seems that a lot of work is being done at the grass-roots level in Australia. The club-level cricket is still very competitive."

Fall short

Pakistan, for example, have some good batsmen and bowlers, said Chappell, but they fall short in other areas, and all because of the lack of the club system.

"Pakistan produce some skilful guys when it comes to batting and bowling but they don't seem to understand the other things, like running between the wickets and fielding, and it's just that they don't go through the system that I have been talking about, where you have to learn all the things that I am talking about, because if you don't, you can't move to the next level. You go down instead."

Who can challenge Australia on the field, and particularly so in Australia?

Some say South Africa, but not Chappell - and all because of their attitude towards the use of spin bowlers.

"I don't see South Africa as the team that can challenge Australia in the near future, and I say that because South Africa don't have a balanced attack.

"They have used Paul Harris as their spinner in the Tests and he has had quite a bit if success, but I think spin is a bit of a closed chapter when it comes to South Africa, and I don't think you can win in Australia with that sort of approach. They have a very conservative approach while bowling."

The question of the discussion came when, after saying that it appeared that the Australians have become the trendsetters in what they do and that other countries have been following the Australian way, Manjrekar asked the two former captains what they make of that.

As far as Chappell is concerned, apart from the fact that they are blessed with some talented players, Australia's success is not because they are doing anything special: it is because they train and practise hard from they are little boys, because they do the basics very well, because big men play with and alongside boys in club cricket, and because of a team spirit which is second to none.

Dominant team

As far as Greig is concerned, it is simply that people, naturally, copy a team as dominant as Australia.

"I don't think they are doing things that differently, however. The reason why they are so successful is that they do the basics very well."

Born in South Africa, the man who captained England and now lives in Australia ended the discussion with the following words: "It never ceases to amaze me that teams all around the world seem to want an Australian coach. I have always thought that there is a bit of pride in having someone from your country helping you with all this stuff, coaching."