Thursday, December 6, 2001 Debating the shape of Australia's cricket team is a bit like analysing the arms race. Yes, we have big guns; yes, we have loud bombs. But we want the biggest, the loudest. This feeling becomes ever more pronounced in times of insecurity and, make no mistake, for Australian cricket these are times of some insecurity.

Rumblings that Steve Waugh's men were too senile and fast losing their lustre began the moment Australia's thirtysomething Ashes squad was announced earlier this year. They were quelled by the team's methodical dismembering of England. They have resumed after Australia's utterly unscripted 0-0 draw with a New Zealand side written off by various commentators - including an Australian columnist on this website who had better remain nameless - as the worst to visit Australia in 50 years. This time of unease is heightened by recent tennis, rugby, soccer and boxing anticlimaxes that have reduced Australians to bragging about being the best Aussie Rules team - with apologies to Ireland - in the world.

The most popular solution is to put Adam Gilchrist at No. 6, promote the increasingly bat-handy Shane Warne and Brett Lee one spot up the order, and field five specialist bowlers with an extra spinner - Stuart MacGill or Colin Miller - adding spice to Warne's noticeably less potent brew. It is a tempting thought. If Australia's attack lost sleep trying to bowl New Zealand out, then logic suggests South Africa will give them nightmares. Conversely, the South African bowling looks reassuringly thin; see off Shaun Pollock and six batsmen should be ample.

But before searching for the solution we need first to identify the problem, and it is here that some perspective is needed. Australia may have just produced their worst Test performance in 27 months - since losing to Sri Lanka at Kandy - but they did take 18 wickets and manage almost 400 runs in the fourth innings. They did dominate the first two Tests before rain had its way. If this constitutes a crisis then we are raising the bar too high. Rather than upsetting the balance of a team that thrillingly won 20 out of 23 Tests, Australia's selectors should take a leaf out of the late Douglas Adams's book: don't panic.

Besides, there is a daunting logistical dilemma: which batsman would you drop? Ricky Ponting and Damien Martyn, as the fulcrum of Australia's future middle order, should only be dispensed with during the direst of form lapses. Both look in pretty reasonable nick.

So it has to be a Waugh and, inevitably, that means Mark. His firing squad of critics will pounce on Tuesday's awful, exasperating get-out shot off Craig McMillan, but Waugh's awful, exasperating moments are rarer these days. He is batting as skilfully, and a lot more solidly, than ever. Moreover, his two greatest innings - 116 at Port Elizabeth and 115 not out at Adelaide - saved Australia from imminent defeat at decisive moments during the last two series against South Africa. Case closed.

That leaves Steve. He looked out of sorts every time he batted against the Kiwis but, then, he always looks out of sorts - it's just that you have usually forgotten about it by the time he is 150 not out. Cogent arguments have been mounted suggesting that he should breathe new life into the old technique by dusting off the hook and pull; there were even unconfirmed sightings of him rehearsing the strokes in the WACA nets. Complete tosh, of course. Waugh sensibly kept his crossbat in his locker as he steered Australia to safety at Perth, and he would be a fool to do otherwise against South Africa. Waugh is many things, but not a fool.

Australia can assume that Glenn McGrath's staleness is an aberration. Warne's form is more disturbing; he is bowling too many half-volleys and full-tosses, and looks a diminished force without his flipper. England's prodders and pokers probably flattered him last summer, yet it is only a couple of months since his command performance on a flattish Oval pitch, where he not only extracted enormous turn when he wanted but varied the precise degree of spin almost at will. MacGill, superb bowler though he is, is not in the same galaxy.

Finally comes the case for promoting Adam Gilchrist, the man principally responsible for turning Mark Taylor's fine side into Steve Waugh's great side. As another magnificent batsman-keeper, Alec Stewart, might have told England's selectors when they wanted to drop him down the order all those years ago: if it ain't broke don't fix it. Australia, surely, won't fall for the same mistake.

Chris Ryan is managing editor of Wisden Cricket Monthly and a former Darwin correspondent of the Melbourne Age.

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