The former Australia captain spoke to Deepti Patwardhan during his recent visit to Mumbai.
Success doesn't happen by accident. Even if it does, it doesn't last for long and it is not ongoing.
The fact that Australia has been able to develop a successful team that has been around for a long time suggests that the programmes Cricket Australia has put in place are working very well.
When Australia resurrected the side in the late 1980s, it was about what Australian cricket put in place. Allan Border [the captain] didn't do everything by himself.
He did a very good job but it was a lot to do with the decisions that were taken at that time to improve the identification process and the elite development progammes in Australia. These helped breed good players consistently so that Australian cricket didn't go through the peaks and troughs.
I think that process through our club cricket, our first class cricket and our elite development progamme is the main reason why Australian cricket is doing better that most other countries now.
Lot of thought went into it, from a lot of people involved in the process of the country's cricket. And most of the decisions they've made have worked well for them. It's not just a product of one thing; it's a combination of many things -- including grooming the captains, grooming the players by bringing them into the one-day team before they come into the Test side. Cricket Australia deserves a pat for it.
Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne have been very important in the success of the team. Batting is important, but bowlers win Test matches. The two of them have complemented each other very well and have helped other bowlers take wickets. That is the reason Australia have been able to win so many matches.
Adam Gilchrist also has been a terrific addition not only as a wicketkeeper but also as a lower middle-order batsman.
It's a good team and strong in most areas. And the beauty of it is that if one or two players are down there are other players who come in and do their part. That's what makes a great side; you can't depend on one or two players.
The youngsters coming into the team have also performed well. Coming into a successful team is also important. It is very hard for a cricketer to come into a team that is defeated all the time. For example, it is very difficult for a young Bangladeshi to establish himself in Test cricket than it is for an Australian.
Allan Border, Mark Taylor, Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting have all done fantastically. The reason why they have been so successful is that they have all been able to stamp their own personalitites on the team. They haven't tried to copy what someone else has done. They've tried to be the best captain that they can be.
And again, the support structures are in place to keep that happening.
There is a lot of talk that Australia is an ageing side and they will soon slide down. But the fact is that they have been dominating for the past so many years, and if you keep predicting their downfall, sooner or later that'll come true.
