God help me - the Test Cricket thread

[DJC]

Nothing has changed DJ, I am connected to a young person playing premier cricket, and can confirm that's it still hard to break into senior teams and so few get dropped that chances for promotion are few and far between - and seem to be reserved for "cliques" of players. Many players give up because they get sick of rotting in the lower grades season after season with zero opportunity for elevation.

In that context Prof, what are the chances of two 8 or 9 year olds going on to open the batting for Australia?

How many better batsmen fell by the wayside while Warner and Khawaja were on their journey?

I suppose that, at all levels, only 11 players can take the field and that limits the opportunities for the next 11 best players and so on down the line.

One of my cousins plays in the local Geelong comp.  He’s getting on a bit - like all of us - and captains the thirds.  They sometimes struggle for players and he roped in his 14 year old son and 13 year old daughter to make up the numbers. Both kids coped with some hostile bowling and the three of them enjoyed what must have been a fairly unique experience.  Cliques at that level are few and far between and the cricket is better for it ?