Its never too young to arrive!

There was a time when Australia led the way in blooding young cricketers at international levelTheir peak period was between 1928 and 1930 when they selected Don Bradman aged 20 and then two 19yearolds in Archie Jackson and Stan McCabe This incredibly talented trio were part of one of Australias best ever batting lineups on the 1930 tour of EnglandAustralia reached their pinnacle when Ian Craig was selected for the 1953 tour of England at the tender age of 17 I remember my grandfather Vic Richardson berating the selectors when recalling his experience as Australias captain in 193536What if Craig experiences a bad trot lamented Vic will the captain take him out and buy him an ice creamVics attitude was understandable considering his reputation as a captain who also led the offfield socialising However the concept of an ice cream improving your batting seemed like a very good proposition to a nineyear oldLoads of FC experienceMore recently Australia has often resorted to what used to be a very English solution of picking mature cricketers with loads of firstclass experience to make their international debut Michael Hussey is a prime example having played his first Test in 2005 at age 30In recent times its more likely Pakistan Bangladesh or India will choose a teenager to make a Test debutAustralia now has an opportunity to buck their recent trend with youngsters Will Pucovski and Cameron Green pushing their case for selection against India in the upcoming Test seriesBoth Pucovski aged 22 and allrounder Green at 21 have more than just heavy runscoring to back their cause Pucovski started the Sheffield Shield season with his second double century in his first innings as an opener Given the ongoing search for a suitable partner for the ebullient David Warner this was a timely move to the top of the orderIn Greens case he followed a 197 against a strong New South Wales attack by taking a wicket in each innings of the clash with Tasmania While a wicket per innings might not sound much of an achievement it signalled Greens first bowling stint since suffering back stress fractures Although the selectors will be loath to burden Green with too much bowling Mitchell Marshs recurring injury history and his failure to cement the allrounders spot in the Test side makes his return to bowling welcome newsSwepson may get a chanceWhile hes no teenager Mitchell Swepson is the other player close to an Australian debut At 27 Swepson is at an age where wristspinnersmdashother than Shane Warnemdashtend to mature His 10wicket haul against New South Wales is a sign that hes ready and a debut in tandem with Nathan Lyon at the spin friendly Sydney Cricket Ground could be in orderSwepsons selection is more likely to occur if Australia has an allrounder capable of batting at six and acting as a third seamer in that TestOn the subject of being ready former Australian selector Greg Chappell came out very strongly in Greens favour When I hear people say he Green isnt ready an exasperated Chappell explained I ask them if they were ready No one is ready until they play 10 15 20 Tests he stated but then you work it out if you are good enoughIndias Prithvi Shaw burst on the scene with a Test century on debut as an 18yearold but has since exuded signs hes yet to work it out Having missed out on valuable experience in the last Australia series because of an ankle injury he then displayed signs in New Zealand that hes now closer to working it out and this Australian tour could well further that progressionOne of the more exciting aspects of a Test series is witnessing young players evolve into really good cricketersIf the Australian and Indian selectors react positively then the upcoming series could be a rewarding one for those who like to closely follow the impact of good young cricketersKeep scrolling to read more newsCatch up on all the latest sports news and updates hereAlso download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest news