Glenn McGrath column: Former Australian Ashes, Australia and Baseball player

We are only a few days away from the first Ashes Test, and I’m hearing a lot of talk about the Australian team being supposedly in a bit of a tailspin over selection decisions.

Obviously losing two fast bowlers in Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood to injuries is a major spanner in the works, doubly so when Cummins is the captain.

But what team wouldn’t suffer if they lost key players? England did not have Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer in the squad in their last Test, against India at The Oval in July. They lost.

If we exclude the two-injury scenario, Australia only had one decision to make, and it was a very important one.

Australia have not had a consistent opening partner for Usman Khawaja since David Warner retired at the start of last year. Five different men were tried within 18 months.

They experimented with band-aid options, perhaps trying to replicate the success of moving Justin Langer from third to first with Matthew Hayden on the team I played on.

Realistically, if you lose an opener, you have to replace it with an opener. You wouldn’t replace a fast bowler with a wicket-keeper. For this reason, Australia will likely end the shuffling of the order, leaving Marnus Labuschagne at number three and giving Jake Weatherald the chance to make his debut.

From there, the rest of the batting order takes care of itself. Cameron Green drops to fill the overall role at No. 6, meaning Beau Webster is eliminated. It’s tough for Webster, who has done nothing wrong.

Another criticism leveled at Australia is the age of the team. The likely XI for the first Test at Optus Stadium on Friday will only be Green Under 30.

I really don’t see that as an issue in this Ashes series. The reason this team has progressed together is because it has been successful together.

With age comes experience. I played in a team in a similar situation in the 2006-2007 season. We only had Michael Clarke under 30 and we won 5-0.

Perhaps this will be an issue for selectors over the next 12 to 18 months as players finish their careers, but it is not an issue that needs to be addressed now. As long as a player performs well, age does not matter.

I’m wondering what process led to both Cummins and Hazlewood being unavailable for the first test.

It feels as if things have changed a lot in the decision-making process surrounding players, and the backroom staff and those outside the dressing room could have a very big influence.

We didn’t have routine scans. If you’re not 100%, but you feel like you can step up and play, you’ve played.

Now there is a tendency to err on the side of caution. If the player feels pain, he is told to rest.

If I had had routine checkups, I like to think I would have been fine. I only had a short birth step, so there was no pressure on my back. It was in good condition when I played and it still is today.

But my old new-ball partner Jason Gillespie believes he would never have played a Test if he had been subjected to routine checks. His back would light up like a Christmas tree.

Australia’s hope is that Cummins and Hazlewood will be ready for the second Test in Brisbane, because England will certainly look at their home attack in a different light without them.