Divert athletes from other sports to cricket: Border

Melbourne, Jan 16 (PTI) Former Test captain Allan Borderfeels Cricket Australia needs to divert teenage athletes fromFootball League and the other sports to rebuild the team aftertheir Ashes debacle.

"There are so many disciplines, we tend to spreadourselves a bit thin," Border told The Sun-Herald.

"It''s up to cricket to offer something that makes juniorathletes prefer it over the other sports.

"There are ways to sell it. Some kids have the righttemperament for the longer Sheffield Shield-style of cricket,others for the explosiveness of Twenty20. We can cater for allsorts of players, but there''s other sports pitching for them -and kids want to be a part of everything," he added.

Border, who is still involved in cricket through theQueensland state association, said he is ready to helpAustralia reach the top once again.

"I''m more than happy to help," he said. "I''m not the onlyone. Cricket Australia has plenty of former players who wouldbe happy to offer something."

Border said England benefited from smart preparationagainst Australia during the Ashes series.

"We came up against a pretty-good English side after 20years of them copping it from us," he said. "I''d like to thinkpeople realise England deserve more of a rap than they havebeen getting.

"Their bowling attack is the best in the world. SouthAfrica has quality bowlers, but England''s quartet isoutstanding, and to think they lost [Stuart] Broad early inthe series.

"They put [enormous] pressure on the Australian batsmen,it was a great display of bowling. It was England''s turn toshine and they took all that was before them," he added. PTIATK