Earlier this week the pair ripped into Cricket Australia for wrapping players in cotton wool and treating domestic cricket as an experiment rather than ensuring it remains the competitive cauldron that has fuelled international success over the past decades.

Speaking on Fox Sports program Bill and Boz Robertson, who played four Tests and 13 ODIs, said: “We’ve got problems that you would not believe and no one’s going to tell you.

“The people sitting in the Cricket Australia ivory tower, it will be your legacy that falls because it sits on you. You tell us you know everything and we know nothing.

“All I hear about bowling loads is that it fixes bowlers and all I see is bowlers having operations and time off.

“Seriously, it is way out of control and the public don’t know.”

Geeves, who played two ODIs for Australia, said: “Until we start picking our best teams across all games regardless of age, background, whatever, we’re going to fail and I think that’s what we’re seeing in all the ICC rankings.”

But Hughes — who played 53 Tests and is a former national selector — hit back at the pair, saying their lack of extensive international experience meant they didn’t understand the complexities behind what’s required to get the best out of players on the biggest stage.

He said picking the best team for every game in every format just isn’t feasible.

“They played a lot of Shield cricket and didn’t have too much time at the top,” Hughes told Sportsday Radio.

“There is a different genre from Australian cricket to state cricket.

“At state level you play every game but in international cricket you just can’t play every game, especially with the three modes of the game … Physically and mentally they can’t do it.

“We have to give players a rest.

“It’s like in the middle of the AFL season. When the sides that are going all right travel interstate, they leave a few of their better players behind. That’s just to freshen them up both mentally and physically and that’s what the Australian team does.

“They have the blokes that are paid to do the job. The physiotherapist, the strength and conditioning bloke are your two best mates as a selector. They can tell you how they (the players) are travelling.”

Geeves didn’t take long to fire back at the 55-year-old.

Robertson predicted his view wouldn’t go down well with those in power (or those who used to be in power, like ex-selector Hughes), and it looks like he was right.

“The people in power right now will say, ‘You don’t know what you’re talking about.’ My point to (CA high performance director) Pat Howard is could you be wrong? And if you’re wrong it’ll be a legacy you will not be able to wipe off your CV, you’ll have to ask Centrelink to do it,” Robertson said.

“You ask past players ... there’s a truckload of them and they are worried.

“And they (CA) will say, ‘You don’t know what you’re talking about.’ That’s what they’ll say in those ivory towers.

“My question is what if you’re wrong? No way (would they admit it).”

Hughes might disagree with Robertson and Geeves but former Aussie quick Rodney Hogg — who played 38 Tests and 71 ODIs — is on their side, taking a swipe at the game’s administrators on Thursday.

“We haven’t won anything away from Australia, so much money is being pumped in, and they’re starting to forget about the junior cricketer. They don’t care about Shield cricket. They don’t care about junior cricket. It’s going to become an elitist game,” Hogg said on SEN’s Hungry For Sport.

“Who allowed Greg Chappell not to be at that Shield game last weekend? Who allowed that to happen? We haven’t had a first class game in Australia for seven months. All of a sudden, we have a really important Ashes coming up and these Shield games are important, and we have one of our selectors not at a game. It’s a disgrace.

“There is an elitist attitude at Cricket Australia.”