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TASMANIA swing bowler Ben Hilfenhaus was one of five new faces handed a central contract today as Australia plans for life without its retired stars.

First-time inclusions among Cricket Australia’s list of 25 contracted players for the 2007-2008 season were Hilfenhaus, South Australia leg spinner Cullen Bailey, Queensland all rounder James Hopes and Western Australia batsmen Chris Rogers and Adam Voges.

The recent retirements of Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, Damien Martyn and Justin Langer freed up vacancies on the roster, while Michael Kasprowicz and Simon Katich failed to have their contracts renewed.

Veterans Jason Gillespie and Stuart MacGill were retained, and Victoria captain Cameron White was again offered a full contract.

“ This list of players still represents a very experienced group but also includes some exciting young talent. ” – Andrew Hilditch
Chairman of selectors

With Redbacks off spinner Dan Cullen and World Cup star Brad Hogg also on the list, the National Selection Panel (NSP) named five frontline spinners in the wake of Warne’s departure.

“With the recent retirements of great players … Australian cricket is presented with a great challenge over the next 24 months,” chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch said.

“The retirement of Shane Warne is a significant issue for Australian cricket. While he is obviously irreplaceable we are pleased that we have experienced spinners in Stuart MacGill, who has a great Test record and Brad Hogg, who has just finished a highly successful World Cup.

“We will also look to Cullen Bailey and Dan Cullen to continue with their exciting development and realise their potential.”

Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist, both of whom stated their intention to carry on playing after Australia’s third successive World Cup final triumph on Sunday, were unsurprisingly kept on by selectors.

An estimated $1.6 million in player payments was freed up by the glut of high-profile retirements in the Australia ranks.

The contracted players are paid a base retainer, which is scaled according to a player ranking system decided by the NSP. Each player also receives match fees, tour fees and prize money for on-field success.

Each member of Australia’s World Cup touring party received about $180,000 in bonuses for winning the tournament, in addition to $90,000 in touring fees.

Mitchell Johnson, one of two squad members not to play a match in the Caribbean, was awarded a contract along with fellow pacemen Nathan Bracken and emerging star Shaun Tait.

“As with Shane, the retirement of Glenn McGrath leaves a huge hole for Australian cricket, but the squad contains some really exciting fast-bowling talent in Shaun Tait and Mitchell Johnson and now the addition to the contracted list of Ben Hilfenhaus for the first time,” Hilditch added.

“While it still going to be a challenging time for Australian cricket, we consider it to be a very exciting one and are really confident that the group we have picked can help us to continue our dominance of world cricket.

“While we are thrilled with the team’s recent performances in claiming the ICC Champions Trophy, the Ashes series and the World Cup, we can now look forward to what can be seen as a new era for Australian cricket.

“This list of players still represents a very experienced group but also includes some exciting young talent that will ensure our reign as champions in both Test and one-day cricket can continue.”

Australia is scheduled to tour India for a limited-overs series later this year before hosting Sri Lanka and India in home summer Test series.

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