Please go away!

Phil Jaques
Phillip Hughes
Shaun Marsh
David Hussey
Brad Hodge
Marcus North
Adam Voges
Glenn McGrath
Luke Pomersbach
Chris Rogers

Ten players who could step up and take over from Matthew Hayden with ease.

There are more.

They are talented, capable and lacking only opportunity.

There is no shortage of alternatives, so why haven't we cut the fat already? There's no place for nostalgia in elite sports.

Taxpayer money goes to funding sport in Australia.

I expect Olympic gold medals.

I expect records to be broken.

I also expect cricket selections to be based on merit. For a while now we should have been assisting new, younger players to settle in, not carrying around a dead weight in hope of a miracle.

Sorry it had to be like this Matt, but you've had your chances.