Mike as an Aussie and a PC newbie I would like your views on this.
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I both agree and disagree. As developing cricketers we all played limited overs format in our developing years, be it at school or weekend limited games. When you promote and idolize a batsman such as David Warner, who avoids all criticism when he plays rash shots in the test match arena and gets out, due solely to poor technique, youthful players try to be like David, and think this is an acceptable technique. Ageing dinosaurs like ourselves know there are flaws, but the commentators all but wet their pants when Warner manages to put together one of those innings, and let's be honest there is a big element to luck to most of his innings. The youth want to be like David, just like Jack Edwards "moves his back leg deep into his crease and well to the leg side exposing his off stump" is a David Warner shot is it not? Maybe that will change as Smith becomes more popular but walking across stumps is not in any coaching textbook I've read. But Smith doesn't play T20 well and that is where the crowds are even at domestic level.
Secondly I really don't see this generally, this is more a NSW thing. Last year Qld Bulls with a lot of junior players showed good technique with the bat, and ultimately a bunch of kids won the shield. The problem with the Pathways program is kids as young as 12 are supposedly identified and given opportunities. These identified players are based on opinions of individuals who attend local games and are bias, after all your opinion would differ to mine on who exactly shows potential especially at the age of 12. There are many youthful players that become disillusioned because they were continuously overlooked in the junior ranks in favour of NSW players who make up the majority of these programs or players with family contacts, eg the latest U19 side contained seven players from New South Wales, three from Victoria, three from Queensland (one is from NSW, dumped on Qld because Sydney was too far away, and is really poor, one from SA also questionable, so really only one Qlder) and one each from South Australia and Tasmania including Alister Waugh (father Steve) and James Sutherland's son Will. These programs do nothing but damage prospects of youthful players and are extremely biased.
The real problem is that the current crop of players are lazy. During the off season they put their feet up watching their cartoons. In the past the players went to England to develop skills they were dedicated to cricket. Remember Matt Hayden paying his own way to India to learn how to play spin, and he played well in India because of it. He was dedicated. His fitness training was dedicated. He spent hours in the nets with a bowling machine. It was called dedication to a chosen career, and this is where the real problem lies
