“That core of senior players ... ” Steve Waugh, Taylor and Ian Healy celebrate a fifth-straight Ashes series victory in ‘97. Photo: Getty

There’s no doubt – with the amount of T20 cricket being played these days – that there’s a completely different culture to when I played. Back then, you played for the Test matches. In that ’89 Ashes series, we went away for six months and we forged a culture. These days, blokes tend to fly in for a few games and fly off. So they don’t forge that team bond. Somehow they’ve got to try and find that – and it’s not going to be easy. They’ve got to find that core of senior players that sticks together and says, “The culture is this.” At the moment, I don’t know who those senior players are, but Australian cricket desperately needs them.

Who should they be?

Well, it should be Clarke, Watson, Haddin, Warner and Siddle. There’s your five blokes. But in the lead up to this Ashes series, we had Michael Clarke injured, so he hasn’t been around the team. We had Siddle and Haddin playing for Australia A, so they weren’t with the Champions Trophy group. And we had David Warner finding himself in trouble. So I don’t sense the core values of the side are being set by the senior players.

“When AB returns with the the urn, the urn ...” Tough decisions led to glittering success for Border in ‘89. Photo: Getty

Allan Border was renowned for being a tough captain. With Mickey Arthur gone, does Clarke need to be a harsher captain?

No, I don’t think you necessarily have to be harsh. But I think you need to set standards that have to be met by the team. And that’s not the case at the moment. Back in ’89, I distinctly remember Allan Border saying that in ’81 and ’85, the team started splitting up halfway through the campaign.

He found that when wives and partners came over to England, the team tended to break up, go its own way. Of course, Australia lost both those series after making good starts. So in 1989, AB said, “Righto, we’re staying together, team only, until we win the Ashes. If you want to bring your wife or your girlfriend, they’re not to join the team. They’re separate.” It was a harsh call; a big call. But, rightly or wrongly, that team stuck together and formed the basis for a side that only improved from then on. So I think some tough decisions need to be made to set the right example for this team.

Tubby and his trusty Symonds, circa ‘89. Photo: Getty

Fielding has always been something Australian teams have prided themselves on, but of late we seem to be regularly out-fielded in all forms of the game. Is this a sign of a commitment problem?

I think it’s more an emphasis problem. In recent times, particularly with the birth of T20 cricket, there’s been far more emphasis placed on fitness, strength and ground fielding. Yes, these days blokes throw themselves around in the field, but I don’t think there’s been enough emphasis placed on catching – particularly catching in the ring. These are the catches that win Test matches. So I think our top-order batsmen have to do what I did – if you’re not going to bowl, you have to be a good catcher. When David Boon started, he wasn’t a great catcher at all, but he tuned himself into a good bat-padder through hard work. This is what blokes like Cowan and Hughes have to do.

It’s 18 months since the Argus Report was released. Now you’re back on the Cricket Australia board, are you satisfied the recommendations of that report are being put in place?

Oh gee, that’s a very tough question! There were 50-odd recommendations in that report and probably 13 of them were major recommendations. Look, I think it’s a work in progress. A lot of recommendations made in that report need to be constantly adhered to. So it’s an ongoing work. Is it close to being complete? No way. We’ve got a lot of work to do.

– Aaron Scott