WHEN, as would seem certain, Jason Gillespie is overlooked for the Trent Bridge Test next week, the dismantling of the all-conquering Australia side of recent times will have begun. If England win the series, the process may be accelerated this winter, but even if Australia retain the Ashes, their team could be quite a different one by the time the countries next lock horns in November 2006.

Decisions will have to be made whether to persist with a batting line-up that has performed outstandingly for a long time but is now ageing. Only one member of the top seven, Michael Clarke, will be under 30 when the fourth Test starts. Matthew Hayden, whose form has dipped alarmingly, Damien Martyn and Adam Gilchrist all turn 34 this autumn and Justin Langer celebrates his 35th birthday at the same time. One of the reasons for ending Darren Lehmann’s Test career at the start of this year was that his 35th was also imminent.

The next two batsmen in line for promotion to the Test team, Brad Hodge and Mike Hussey, are top-class players at state and county level, but still uncapped at the age of 30. The Australia selectors may want to blood them before England head Down Under in 14 months’ time, but their inclusion might mean that a player as talented as Phil Jaques, 26, has to wait a few years longer for a Test debut. Nor can Shane Watson, 24, be sure when he will add to his solitary Test cap.

The quality of cover for the top order may appear high, but until those reserve batsmen are exposed at Test level, no one can be sure that they will succeed. It must also concern Australia’s selectors that more batsmen in their early twenties are not making a strong impression in the Pura Cup. Nor should it be forgotten that, in the Under-19 World Cup in February 2004 in Bangladesh, Australia were humiliatingly eliminated from the main competition after defeat by Zimbabwe, and then beaten in the plate final by Bangladesh.

In the fast bowling department, Shaun Tait, whom batsmen find difficult to pick up with his slingy action, is a fine prospect at 22, but few others with the same potential are breaking through. Aaron Bird, 21, is highly rated by Steve Rixon, the Surrey and former New South Wales coach, but cannot get into the NSW side because his path is blocked by Matthew Nicholson (aged 30), Nathan Bracken (nearly 28) and Stuart Clark (nearly 30).

As far as spinners are concerned, Australia are well covered for a number of years to come, not only with their two champions, Shane Warne who is 36 next month, and Stuart MacGill, 34, but also with the promising Daniel Cullen of South Australia. “There’s a lot of talk about Cullen, who’s an exceptionally good young offie,” Rixon said. “New South Wales have also got a very talented teenaged all-rounder in Moses Henriques.”

Rixon believes that young talent in Australia will emerge in the next couple of years. “I wouldn’t be too concerned at this stage,” he said. “We have a good system in Australia that nurtures and develops skills. We’ve been spoilt for so long. Players of our current quality don’t normally last this long, but they’re not in a hurry to move on as they’re paid so much.”

The novelty of a competitive Ashes series, and the prospect of more to follow, means, however, that those same older players may no longer be able to depart the international stage at their time of choosing.

“People in Australia have been very surprised by what has happened in the last month,” Rixon said.

• What should have been the biggest day for Scottish cricket, a sell-out match against Australia in Edinburgh, turned into a frustrating wash-out yesterday. All hope of play was abandoned just after 4pm. The only drama came when a spectator fell on the pavilion steps and suffered head injuries.