<p>Former Test wicketkeeper Steve Rixon said Australia's continuing dismal performances, the most recent being the innings and 71 runs defeat to England in the second Ashes Test, is unacceptable.<br /><br />"We've been spoilt and things have come too easy for us. We've not had to do the hard yards," Rixon said.<br /><br />"There's no question we need a summit. We want Australian cricket to get back on top and now it's become frustrating. Mark Taylor would be perfect to oversee it (a summit). He's got a great cricket brain, and I'd have people like Steve Waugh.<br /><br />"We need to have a look at our whole brand of cricket, from Test to one-day and Twenty20," he was quoted as saying by 'The Herald Sun'.<br />Rixon said fresh planning is needed urgently to arrest the slide.<br /><br />"We need a think tank to come in at the end of this summer where we get past and current players and even some business people to come up with a blueprint on how to rebuild our game.<br /><br />"To think we are fifth on the (ICC) table -- that's unacceptable. We should be in the top three. We need to start at the top with our selectors and look at every facet of our cricket."<br /><br />Former Test selector John Benaud also trained his guns on the players and said they are too pampered. "There's got to be more hangers-on in the Australian cricket team now than there are players," he said.<br /><br />"Australia's cricketers are the most mollycoddled bunch. These guys need match practice, not blokes with video cameras filming players at training. They need good, hard work in the middle," he added.<br /><br />The views were echoed by former Test skipper Kim Hughes. "We've become a bit precious in the way we're treating our players. We're wrapping blokes up in cotton wool. Resting a guy like Mitchell Johnson from the WA side (playing Queensland in the Sheffield Shield) is just mind-boggling," he said.</p>
<p>Former Test wicketkeeper Steve Rixon said Australia's continuing dismal performances, the most recent being the innings and 71 runs defeat to England in the second Ashes Test, is unacceptable.<br /><br />"We've been spoilt and things have come too easy for us. We've not had to do the hard yards," Rixon said.<br /><br />"There's no question we need a summit. We want Australian cricket to get back on top and now it's become frustrating. Mark Taylor would be perfect to oversee it (a summit). He's got a great cricket brain, and I'd have people like Steve Waugh.<br /><br />"We need to have a look at our whole brand of cricket, from Test to one-day and Twenty20," he was quoted as saying by 'The Herald Sun'.<br />Rixon said fresh planning is needed urgently to arrest the slide.<br /><br />"We need a think tank to come in at the end of this summer where we get past and current players and even some business people to come up with a blueprint on how to rebuild our game.<br /><br />"To think we are fifth on the (ICC) table -- that's unacceptable. We should be in the top three. We need to start at the top with our selectors and look at every facet of our cricket."<br /><br />Former Test selector John Benaud also trained his guns on the players and said they are too pampered. "There's got to be more hangers-on in the Australian cricket team now than there are players," he said.<br /><br />"Australia's cricketers are the most mollycoddled bunch. These guys need match practice, not blokes with video cameras filming players at training. They need good, hard work in the middle," he added.<br /><br />The views were echoed by former Test skipper Kim Hughes. "We've become a bit precious in the way we're treating our players. We're wrapping blokes up in cotton wool. Resting a guy like Mitchell Johnson from the WA side (playing Queensland in the Sheffield Shield) is just mind-boggling," he said.</p>