LOS ANGELES, SEPT 20: Not so long ago, Australian cricket was in the kind of quagmire India currently find itself in. The Australian National team was repeatedly beaten by the West Indies. Even England got the better of them on occasions.Today, the Australians have bounced back and are now universally acknowledged as the finest cricketing side in the world. Their cricketers are tough as nails and perform splendidly all over the world, even in the sub-continent. The Aussies have tremendous depth and can easily throw up two or even three outstanding international class teams.The current coach of the Australia A team, Allan Border, one of the architects of the Aussie revival, is in Los Angeles guiding the fortunes of the young team. He spoke of that marvellous, much-admired Australian concept - the Australian Cricket Academy.Border outlined the manner in which they identified the players for the Academy. ``We have the under-15, under-17 and under-19 cricket carnival. Rodney Marsh and other talentspotters go around watching these players in action and then pick players on the basis of potential. Late bloomers in the 21 and 22 age group are also considered. ``Earlier we ran the Academy for 12 months a year. But we found it too intense and draining. Now we operate it for three to four weeks in winter. Sometimes, if we find players with faults they are brought back to the academy during the season for specific training.''Border said they did not usually handle players who had already consolidated themselves. ``We take players in the younger age group and try and work them out around their own personality. Once he reaches first class level he is left to himself.``The academy concept has really paid off. In the current Australia A side, barring Lee Hanson and Brendan Creary, the rest are all from the Academy.'' Basically we want the academy players trained during off season to show their prowess during the season in their grade cricket, club cricket, etc. We keep track of their performances and ifthey develop flaws they are asked to come back to the academy during the season itself.''Asked of the cross-training at the Academy, Border said Ian Chappell was a great lover of baseball. ``A few other Australian cricketers too saw the benefits of baseball and encouraged the introduction of baseball techniques, especially in throwing and fielding, into cricket.``It has been such a success that every state side in Australia now employs a baseball coach for these two aspects of the game. I feel Australian out cricket has improved amazingly since. Unfortunately the reverse (of cricket helping baseball) has not come about.''The Aussie academy concept is now duplicated by South Africa and New Zealand. It is only a matter of time before other countries too fall in line, for the Australian formula has been a truly outstanding success.``The A team concept is an extension of the Academy. The players are generally below 25. They could be either fringe main team cricketers or others who fall off the mainteam and want opportunities to get back into the team. It gives good exposure and also provides feedback of the temperament and ability of the player at international level. It is a very important nursery for the main National team.''What Border left unsaid, however, was the tremendous involvement and dedication of past stars like himself and Rod Marsh that have fuelled the growth of Aussie cricket.
