Chappell not ready to sacrifice experience

Australia have several good young players at their disposal but must resist the temptation to pick too many at the same time, former captain Greg Chappell said on Thursday.

One such talent, 18-year-old Pat Cummins, made a spectacular Test debut this week in Johannesburg, claiming seven wickets and hitting the winning runs to level the two-match series against South Africa.

However, Australia's national talent manager Chappell is not ready to sacrifice experience at youth's alter.

"Knowledge and experience is a very handy asset to have in the group," the 87-Test veteran said in Sydney while launching his book Fierce Focus.

"You don't want to bring all the young players in together. I don't think that's a recipe for success, any more than you want to have a team that's all old players and all experienced players.

"It's about balance," said the 63-year-old Chappell who had a spell as India coach from 2005-07 that was marked by confrontations with senior players.

Chappell is happy the youngsters are making sure experienced performers like former skipper Ricky Ponting cannot take their places for granted.

"A little bit of pressure is good for everyone," he said.

"I'm excited about the prospects for Australian cricket. I think the next couple of years will be very exciting."

South African Mickey Arthur was this week put in charge of Australia but Chappell said a coach's role could often be overestimated.

"There are a lot of things that you haven't got control over as a coach," he said. "You are very reliant on the performance of the players on the field.

"But ... if you lose the coach will get the blame, that's part of the territory."