Why do we regard Age as skill?

[Pak_cricketer]

Why do we say that Misbah is too old, or Kamran Hussian is too old to be playing for Pak. Look at the Aussies, they're players come in at the age of 30-31, and they only play for 4-5 years, BUT, in those years they are established as players.

When Misbah came in at a young age, he failed but then he returned to the domestic scene where he established himself as a player and gained experience which is helping him now.

I think we have to ease up on the "youngsters". I don't give a damn about the age, but rather about the skill inside the players.

[prepare]

i think 32 is the limit in ODIs though as you need players for next world cup.

[Pak_cricketer]

Originally Posted by prepare i think 32 is the limit in ODIs though as you need players for next world cup.

Yes, but players can well go onto playing in their 40's if they are fit. Example, Lara.

[dblock]

Because youngsters invariably improve so if you see a set of skills from a youngster and you see the same set of skills from a 30 year old then of course the youngster will be regarded higher because general opinion is that a player peaks in the late 20's.

[Foozee]

i agree with this first statement, but the problem really lies in the money and confidence the domestic players get whereas they get more money internatioanally... i wouldnt play ten years domestically without any international matches, it just isnt the pakistan mentality... maybe one odd or two like Misbah may get a chance but many dont coz they look ahead to prepare for next worlcup and such... Australia dont have this problem coz domestic matches actually mean sumthin and players get good money... its really the mentality we have to change if this is the case

[safehands46]

age doesnt matter if fitness is kept. but many times fitness is not kept so....

[Kamranz]

Pak_cricketer: Good post!

Its the in the culture i guess, we like to wedd our kids at young ages too from 20 to 22. lol

[DHONI183]

Age doesn´t matter with Australian and English players because they play cricket for a short period also. We start giving players opportunities from 20s and by the time they are 35-36 they will have played over 15 years and after playing for such a long time your hunger dies. Your body doesn´t back you anymore to dive to take a catch, take a close single or be active on the field, and thus it´s the case of "lack of commitment" which comes into play then. But yes, I find no reasons in giving players a chance who are over 30. They probably, like Aussues or English cricketers, won´t face the problem I stated above.

[GQ]

I completely agree. I think we try to overemphasize the age factor. Agreed, that younger players are more energetic and have raw talent that can be molded. However, younger players don't have experience and that experience comes with practice and playing. A player who's been playing domestic cricket for a long time has much more experience than a newcomer which is very necessary mentally and physically to survive in hectic international cricket these days.

Although there are extremely rare, exceptional newcomers who can adapt very quickly and produce great results, the same shouldn't be expected of all newcomers. I've been saying this for a while and I still believe that if Pakistan tried some experienced/aged opening batsmen, our opening batsmen problem can go away. I would rather see batsmen with good technique for the long run than raw, youngsters trying to adapt too quickly and failing in the process.