Lot of life left in us old dogs,says Ryan Harris

Australia’s Ashes triumph has been cast as a fairytale swansong for an ageing team,but 34-year-old paceman Ryan Harris has urged selectors not to pension off the greybeards needlessly. Harris has hit back at claims the series was the last hurrah. At 34 and after a litany of career-interrupting injuries,the pacer has learnt to play every test as if it’s his last.

In fact,six of the 11 that trounced England,including 32-year-old captain Michael Clarke,wicketkeeper Brad Haddin and opening batsman Chris Rogers both 36,and 32-year-old captain Michael Clarke struggling to manage a back condition,are over 30 and have played in three straight matches to win back the coveted urn are over 30,and Australia may bring a very different team for the next Ashes in 2015.

Former coach Mickey Arthur,who was sacked before the first of the back-to-back Ashes series in England,cast doubt on the longevity of some of the players,including captain Michael Clarke. “I read Mickey Arthur’s comments about the need to rebuild,and I don’t really want to get into it because I don’t want to start another furore. But I think he’s wrong,” Harris said in a column published by Melbourne’s The Age newspaper on Friday. “If you’re older an you’re good enough to play at this level,then you should be picked. If you nick off all your old blokes,who are the younger ones going to learn from?”