Later, as CEO of Victoria, Dodemaide played a major role setting up the Melbourne Big Bash teams. So he was the early adapter to T20 cricket: even if he wasn’t hitting and catching balls.

It also contradicts the view that Dodemaide is a conservative member of the Victorian establishment. More likely he was shackled by a delegate system dominated by representatives of Premier Cricket, who have an unhealthy view of their competition’s place in the world, given it hasn’t produced a batsman of substance since Dean Jones.

Indeed, the more Dodemaide tried to reform Victoria’s antiquated system, the more difficult life became, until he left three years ago. He led the redevelopment of Victorian cricket’s home at Junction Oval, turning the historic facility and home of the St Kilda Cricket Club into a world-class venue for playing, training and administration as his legacy.

At 58, Dodemaide is hardly seen as part of a renewal process but the man he replaces, Trevor Hohns, is 67, having been brought back as chairman for a second term five years ago to add stability.

While every selector cops flak from everywhere, Hohns survived remarkably well compared to the three chairmen who filled the position between his first and second stints in the chair, Andrew Hilditch, John Inverarity and Rod Marsh.

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Dodemaide was chosen in part to offer a similar steadying hand on a panel with volatile coach Justin Langer and the inexperienced chairman Bailey, 39, a former Test player and Australian one-day and T20 captain.

However, when Ben Oliver, CA’s executive general manager of high performance and national teams, says “Tony led a field of very strong candidates”, it would be interesting to see how strong.

Any player of substance whose career has been in this millennium would have been a million-dollar-a-year cricketer.

That leaves little incentive for many recent players to look at going back into the game in Australia in a variety of roles, including state coaching and as a selector, when they’re looking at a salary which doesn’t tip all that far into six figures.

This has been compounded by the riches of the IPL for coaches and support staff as well as players, and a significant expansion in commentary roles with Channel 7, Fox and three radio networks all broadcasting the game.

One thing is certain in this modern age: Dodemaide’s administrative skills will actually be a bonus as a selector given the vast amounts of reporting and paperwork now involved in the role.

It’s to be hoped that among all the paperwork, Dodemaide and his fellow selectors can lift their eyes long enough to find replacements for the gaping holes in Australia’s batting line-up.

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