Anyone reckon we should be giving some of the youngsters a go if not for the first team, then front and centre for the A team? Would Stead have selected Williamson, back in the day, eh? Let's give Mariu and Heaphy a spin for the As, alongside Chu and Foulkes. That's surely what the A team is for, less so than giving over 32s a day in the sun when you have no intention to select them for the main team.
I think that would happen anyway, even with the same selectors/coach as the last few years.
We have had some old/bad 'A' teams recently, but they were as much about circumstance than philosophy.
Last season when Aus 'A' came here. Every young bowler was injured (Smith, Sears, Fisher, Shipley, Foulkes) except O'Rourke.
It's partly the same reason why it was Tickner/Kuggeleijn/Bracewell/Duffy who were the seamers for England test series last year.
Although O'Rourke didn't play the home 'A' series, he did go on the away 'A" tour 6 months later (although, with zero cricket having occurred in that time to prompt that change, so don't know what prompted it? that tour was still before Wells took over).
They did throw in the very green Abbas for both series. Chu didn't get picked, but the similarly aged Hay did go on tour (that was quite left field IMO, and on my assumption his batting is rated considerably more promising).
I think there was quite a mediocre mini-generation between the 88-92 born guys, and the current youths (say born post-2000).
I remember being hugeley frustrated at some of those 'A" teams with averages ages of 29. But when I tried to come up with alternatives it was doing things like picking hail-marys like Tim Robinson based on one FC century etc etc
The next few 'A' teams should be quite fun. I don't think we are looking at another 88-92 generation. But we are looking at an above average looking crop IMO.