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Success Has Made Australia Complacent At All Levels, Says Hayden After Test Series Loss In SA

World Test Championship: Former Australia opener Matthew Hayden has said that years of success have bred complacency in the countrys Test set-up, adding that the series defeat in South Africa is a telling point for the team and the countrys cricket administration. Australia surrendered their world number one Test ranking after a collapse in Cape Town sealed their 2-1 series loss in South Africa. The success, I feel, of this current group has probably made us a little complacent at all levels. It doesnt matter where you look at it. Administration, the so-called architects of the team - the coaches and the significant staff. The architects, I feel at the moment, are point thereover the discussion. Theyre not the only discussion because the architect can never build a house - the builders do, so youve got to look at the builders as well, Hayden said on SEN Radio. He then turned towards Australia's record in the World Test Championship, which they won in 2023. Since the World Test Championship began back in 2019, Australia has won one title, theyve reached three completed finals, and finished in the top three in every completed qualifying cycle. Now, you could say that thats because the competition isnt that strong, and you could maybe mount that argument. Of the eight full member cycle Test nations, generally speaking, there are four that are elite. Australia now are 69.23 per cent in this cycle and theyre currently third. Theyre back to the field. Before they went to South Africa, they were way out in front. Theyre 80 odd and more per cent. But now theyre coming back into the field where theyve got some bloody good teams, including New Zealand, who won the first cycle. Hayden further warned that the schedule ahead offered little breathing space for the Australian Test team. Australia next host New Zealand in a four-Test series starting in early December, before coming to India for a five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy series. Then weve got the Border-Gavaskar Trophy thats coming up, and we all know how hard it is as cricketers to compete over in that country, and then weve got the Ashes at the back of it. This is really a telling point for the Australian cricket team and the overall administration to understand how were going to future proof cricket in this great country. Hayden also questioned the decision of skipper Pat Cummins to field first in Cape Town, and came out strongly in support of veteran off-spinner Nathan Lyon, whose place has come under scrutiny after a difficult series. I dont believe that that was the correct decision, especially when youve got a world-class spinner whos been bounced around the place. Everyone should be put on notice when it comes to the Australian cricket team. We should be that damn good that everyone has got a notice certificate in the mail to say, perform or banish. In Lyons case the one thing that Ive been really disappointed about from the architects point of view is that they just keep bouncing him around. The blokes got 550 wickets for Gods sake! He is the best (Aussie) off-spinner of all time, and he is sitting out in conditions which I still believe have a place for an off-spin bowler. Especially on a fifth-day wicket, which he didnt bowl on in Cape Town. So, it was a crazy decision in my opinion. We should be that damn good that everyone has got a notice certificate in the mail to say, perform or banish. In Lyons case the one thing that Ive been really disappointed about from the architects point of view is that they just keep bouncing him around. Also Read: Special Cricket Stories Article Source: IANS