LISA STHALEKAR: Cameron Green and Ash Gardner face the axe as Australia struggles without veteran stars

It has not been a happy few days for both of Australia’s cricket teams.

The men’s side was beaten by Zimbabwe in the T20 World Cup just a few days ago and now overnight were spanked by the home team Sri Lanka.

The hosts chased down 182 runs with eight wickets and 12 deliveries to spare. Australia now must rely on other results to go their way if they are to advance to the Super Eights, otherwise an embarrassing early departure beckons.

The women’s side were beaten by India in a rain affected T20 match on Sunday. India are the ODI World Champions but the Aussies are the number one T20 team with India ranked third.

These are worrying times for Australian cricket. Australia is always seen as a world beater, a team locked in for a semifinals place and a team that doesn’t lose in their own backyard.

Both teams are going through a changing of the guard in terms of the calibre of players on offer. For such a long period we have relied so heavily on our big stars to get us through in the big moments of an ICC event.

The likes of Alyssa Healy, Mitch Starc, Pat Cummins, Meg Lanning, Josh Hazlewood and Rachel Haynes have been the ones that stood up.

Players like Cam Green and Ash Gardner now need to step up and establish their own identify without the big names next to them.

If they performed, Australia would no doubt get across the line.

Lanning and Haynes left the international circuit a while ago with the women’s team failing to win an ICC trophy since they retired in 2022 and 2023.

Sometimes what happens when you have amazing stars who consistently win you games, they cover the hairline-cracks that are emerging within the team.

A certain player may not be performing well but is carried within the team because of their talent.

Every champion side has had to learn to rebuild and win without these legends to call upon, but it does require other players to step up and it requires a strong selection committee to hold these players accountable.

Players like Cam Green and Ash Gardner now need to step up and establish their own identify without the big names next to them.

They need to create their own legacy within the side.

Green’s position within the Australian Test team was hotly debated throughout the summer. However, when you look a little deeper, across all the formats for Australia his last big score came against South Africa in August 2025.

In the shortest format, his recent scores of 3, 0, 21, 22, 35 and 36 just won’t cut it.

He holds the key position at number 3 and it is now time that he starts producing.

And Gardner, the newly appointed joint vice-captain, has struggled in T20 internationals of late. Since the T20 World Cup in 2023, she is only averaging 15.67 with a strike-rate of 108, well below the acceptable rate for a finishing role.

The Australian women’s selection panel of Shawn Flegler, Julie Hayes and Avril Fahey have now been working together since 2014. In the past decade the Australian team has enjoyed a mountain of success, however just like players, maybe a change in the selection panel is in order to bring in a fresh approach.

For the men’s selection committee, George Bailey and Tony Dodemaide, who have been working together with the Australia coach since 2021, it may be too early to make a call on them.

However, the men’s team does play significantly more cricket and requires selectors to now factor in franchise tournament and management of players more so than ever before.

Cricket Australia needs to act soon before it is too late to ensure that both teams get back on track and returning to their winning ways.