Blasting out the Masterblaster, Viv Richards. Blasting out the Masterblaster, Viv Richards. Image: Getty Images

What about the NSW left-arm quick, Doug Bollinger? 

Well, he does swing it both ways and I thought he should’ve played in India, especially after they lost the second Test. Surely the selectors are analysing where they want to go with their game? They just seem to be sticking with people who aren’t producing, and Dougie is a bloke who’s got countless wickets in the last few seasons with balls moving in to the right-hander and away from left-handers. It’s time to give him a go.

Is Jason Krejza Australia’s spin bowling answer? 

It’s been a promising start. When he was a young player in the NSW system, he drifted it, he turned and that’s why he was put in the state side. Bowling in Nagpur, he reminded me of a young Greg Matthews: throw the ball up, give it air, land it in the footmarks, and try to hit off-stump. He doesn’t have a great arm ball and he doesn’t have a doosra, but he threw it up and hit the footmarks and that worked in those conditions. Now he has to learn to bowl in Brisbane-style conditions. Matthews used to love bowling in Perth and Brisbane because he used different flight and he had different methods of getting people out.

As an old quick, you must’ve been cheering during the Brisbane Test against NZ to see ball dominate bat?

I’m pretty sure the Australian bowlers were happy to see it after they bowled on four roads in India. Fast bowlers like to turn up and see the ball carrying shoulder height rather than ankle height … But still, the game should’ve gone five days. Modern batting techniques just aren’t good enough for batsmen to bat for hours. An exception was Simon Katich, who let plenty of balls go and chose the ones to hit. People have to learn to score slower and they don’t have the mindset to do it any more. The pitch didn’t do that much, it just kept the bowlers interested. Look at the dismissals – how many people actually got out to good balls? Four or five out of 40? Everyone kept nicking balls they should’ve been letting go; Hayden going hard at balls outside off-stump, Ponting playing shots he shouldn’t have played …

The selectors have flagged a return to the “horses for courses” policy. What are your thoughts?

To me it just doesn’t make sense. I think the selectors confused themselves in India and they’re not getting any better. I mean, they play two all-rounders in Brisbane, but had NZ made another 150, it could’ve been a total backfire. We might’ve desperately needed a genuine spinner.They’ve changed what’s been a pretty successful policy for 130 years, and I’m afraid they might be out-thinking themselves. They certainly got it wrong in India.