There’s a lot of talk about English conditions, and the capabilities of the Duke ball – is batting in England really so different?

I don’t believe so, no. I think there’s far too much talk about all that sort of stuff – more talk than actual reality. On that ’89 tour, it took me two or three weeks to get used to the pace of the pitches; I struggled early-doors to get runs in some of the county games. But when I did get used to the pace, I found it very even – probably more even and consistent than the pitches here in Australia. Sure, you’re going to get days over there that are overcast, when the ball’s going to do a bit more, but generally, once I got through that initial period, I always found England an excellent place to bat.

Shane Watson: is this the technique that should secure a place at the top of the Australian order? Photo: Getty

When you cast your technical eye over the batsmen in Australia’s squad, do you see irredeemable technical deficiencies?

Oh, I wouldn’t say that as a general comment ... Look at Shane Watson – technically he’s a very good-looking batsman. Same with Dave Warner.

I wouldn’t say the same for Cowan and Hughes; they’ve got their own techniques. But you don’t need to be a technical genius to be a great batsman. For me, looking at Australia’s top order, the main issue is that they’ve got four or five opening batsmen. The key’s going to be finding the right guys amongst those blokes. Look back to ’89, I broke up the Boon-Marsh opening partnership. Now, that was a bit of a gamble by the selectors. But } Swampy and I formed a good partnership at the top of the order and David Boon got very comfortable batting at three, so we stayed that way for a number of years. I think that’s what this Australian team needs to do – it needs to find a combination that works well. I tend to think that Watson’s got to be in that opening combination. He seems to play his best cricket when he’s opening the batting.

Can the Cowan-Warner partnership last? Photo: Getty

I’m not sure. Is it Warner, Rogers or Cowan? They’re going to have to find someone who can open with Watson, giving them that left-right combination at the top. It might be that David Warner has to bat down the order, below Michael Clarke.

Have Australia’s selectors been blinded by youth over the past five or six years?

I don’t think so. You’ve got to keep looking to youth. Look at the guys who’ve played over the last few years but haven’t grabbed their opportunity. Look at Usman Khawaja – he’s a good-looking player. Technically he should make it. He just hasn’t been able to nail down that spot as yet. What’s the other option? Keep picking the old blokes all the time? Eventually you run into the situation where they all leave together and you’ve got no young players to come through. I think it’s harsh criticism to say the selectors have been blinded by youth.

Is there a culture problem in the Australian team right now?

[Pauses] There’s certainly a different culture. And it’s a culture that needs to improve – I’d say that much. Look, I don’t know everything that’s going on in the team, but it’s certainly true that little issues keep poking up. This suggests to me that things aren’t right.