View from Oz: We have been warned: Aussies have oldest Test team

On the evening of the memorable Monday England won the SCG Test, a bunch of "cricket friends" met over dinner to celebrate the first English tour of Australia of the 21st century. Such gatherings generally attract more "old faces" and, among the 100 present were Brian Booth (age 69), Neil Harvey (74), Alan Davidson (73), Bob Simpson (66) and Doug Walters (57).

Nowadays, "Sam" Booth (a lay preacher) coaches junior cricketers in the fundamentals, "Harv" (a ball of fitness) plays four sets of feisty doubles tennis weekly, "Davo" (larger than life) proposes toasts as president of Cricket New South Wales, "Simmo" (coaching's marathon man) has moved house to a new estate next door to the Olympic stadium.

Dougie is still Dougie – lives in the same house, loves a beer, a smoke and a bet. Nostalgia was thick in the air, as it is in any Ashes summer. It was present when England played the Bradman XI at historic Bowral and Mike Whitney, once tagged "another Davo", took the new ball. Career-wise, "Whit" never got within cooee of his hero, but in first-class cricket after-life he's achieved the same, well-rounded shape. Whit (43, retired at 33) seems to be enjoying the presidential lifestyle of a television presenter.

Bradman, it is said, once decreed: if English cricket is strong, world cricket is strong. We don't know when he said it, but it's fair to say the moment probably falls into the nostalgia category.

His point begs a question of new-age cricket: define strength, is it playing talent, or is it money? Some observers consider current world cricket talent has never been weaker, others say there's never been more money in the game.

The majority, Harvey and Davidson among them, maintain that the money pot risks turning cricket into an old man's game and, during dinner, the pair instigated a lively debate upon the history of young Australian cricketers.

As former national selectors, they had been unsettled by some grim news – Australia are now the oldest Test team (average age 30), older than England (28), whose foot soldiers we liken to Dad's Army.

Central to the debate was this: who made his first-class debut first, Bobby Simpson or Ian Craig? There wasn't much in it, Craig made his NSW debut at 16 years 249 days, Simpson at 16 years 355 days. Craig later made his Test debut at 17 years 239 days and was made captain at 22 years 239 days.

Are such inspirational selections in the Australian game gone forever, threatened by a contract system that seeks to preserve careers rather than push performance? When young Simpson came into the NSW team in 1953 he replaced Sid Barnes, who was 37. Barnes was not dropped, he just didn't accept "an invitation to play".

He gave no reason, but he had been railing against what he saw as "niggardly match payments". Today Barnes could have stayed on because he'd be on a contract. Each state can contract between 16 and 20 players, and pay them anything between $25,000 and $60,000 from a pool of about $750,000.

It's proper to have a contract system with some capping, but it's wrong that it lacks a performance factor to reward success, say the number of first-class matches played.

There are contracted cricketers who will play only second XI matches this summer, an unjust reward for mediocrity. A player awarded a $45,000 contract gets the lot, no matter what.

The players maintain there is a performance factor attached – the judgement of the selectors. But the selectors are honorary, a sore point with the players and they are quick to make it when unhappy – "we're professionals being judged by amateurs".

The selectors are quick to return fire – a guaranteed paypacket doesn't necessarily guarantee a professional outcome.

The grizzles about the generosity of the contract system aren't confined to ocker accents; it's possible that before overdue reform of the system is enacted there will be a players' strike somewhere.

Australia's current selection chairman, Trevor Hohns, has read the signs – "cricketers are playing longer, so we've got to be careful we don't get to the English system," he points out – but how will he respond?

In 2002 he recalled Darren Lehmann to Test cricket at the age of 32. Compare that with Bradman's enterprise in 1964 in choosing Dougie Walters, aged 19 years 354 days, to play against England at the Gabba.

Timing is everything, Dougie made 155. It's time for Hohns to show his mettle. The squad to tour the Caribbean after the World Cup should include the explosive Michael Clarke (21) for Lehmann (33 by then), off-spinner Nathan Hauritz (21) for Stuart MacGill (31) and, two new pacemen, Ashley Noffke (25) and Brad Williams (28), because Andy Bichel, the back-up quick bowler, is 32.

The urgency of generational change has been underscored by most recent Australian performances without Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne, both aged 33, both showing wear and tear.