Mark Taylor blames T20, IPL for poor batting in Oz cricket

Sydney: Former Australian cricketer Mark Taylor has said that he believed that Twenty20 cricket is to blame for the impoverished state of batting in Australian cricket, adding that the existing players have to stand up if the visitors are going to have any chance in the Ashes.

The selectors have chosen Brad Haddin, who will be replacing Matthew Wade behind the stumps and Shane Watson as vice-captain, to inject some experience in the side. The former captain, who was one of the authors of the Argus review and is tipped to return to the board of Cricket Australia this year, said that T20 in general and the Indian Premier League in particular has changed the cricket landscape and distracted emerging Australian batsmen from the goal of Test cricket. Citing the example of Glenn Maxwell, Taylor said that the lure of T20 is affecting the performance of the young players like Maxwell and has added extra workload upon them, adding that although Maxwell is talented, he has chosen to waste his talent in the IPL. However, the former skipper admitted that it is hard to compete with the big money offered by the T20 tournaments, adding that players will probably not listen if they are told to improve their Test playing strengths by not playing any T20 matches for three years in return for a much-lesser value contract by Cricket Australia. According to Taylor, the Australian summer is compromised by the suspension of all first-class cricket for the Big Bash League, adding that it is a dilemma for administrators. Taylor, who was on the board of Cricket Australia before it was streamlined, may return as an independent NSW delegate. ANI