Australia fielded a solitary Under-30 player in the first match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India played in Perth. They were handed a crushing 295-run loss by the visitors.
Greenberg, who will take over from Chief Executive Nick Hockley at the end of the home summer, acknowledged the challenge facing Australia, while noting players are enjoying longer careers due to better management.
“We do have a more ageing side, particularly in red-ball cricket, and that won’t be easy,” Greenberg told Australian media in Adelaide on Thursday.
“There have to be hard and honest conversations between players and staff, and I think those are happening, to be fair.
“In saying that, though, the professionalism of modern athletes are tending to take them longer in their careers; the way we take care of them, the way we rehab them, the way they take care of themselves.
“I think it’s a very fine balance.”
Australia rested all test players from the entire T20 series played recently against Pakistan and a number of them from the one-day international series with a view to keeping the squad fresh for the five-test series against India.
The white-ball matches were poorly attended, leading to heavy criticism from media and former players who accused cricket officials of short-changing the fans.
Greenberg said CA could improve its communications with the public even if selection decisions were often polarising.
“We want to explain the reasons why we might do certain things,” he said.
“And again, that might polarise opinion. Sometimes people might not agree, and that’s okay, but I think it starts from the premise of being really strong communicators.”
First Published: Dec 5, 2024 11:10 AM IST
