By Oliver Brett

I am open and honest with the players and I think they respond to that Tim Nielsen

If a high win ratio is the barometer of a successful coach in international cricket, then Tim Nielsen - who succeeds John Buchanan after the World Cup - can be expected to acquit himself nicely.

But the reality is that Australia's next Test team will be vastly different to the one that tossed England aside so brutally in the recent Ashes series.

Gone are two of the best bowlers of their generation, Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne. And a new opening batsman will have to be blooded with Justin Langer out of the picture.

It hardly makes it any easier that Nielsen's first serious engagement is in India - where Steve Waugh never won and where Australia have often been on the receiving end.

Nielsen is not kidding himself that life will be easy for him.

"We've seen a lot of talented players, but you can't replace superstars," he told reporters in Melbourne on Monday.

"You're talking about some of the best players in the history of the game in terms of Warne and McGrath.

"You can't expect two guys to come in and take over their workload and their results. We need to move forward as a group and get 1,200 wickets in maybe bits and pieces."

As the head coach at Cricket Australia's Centre of Excellence in Brisbane since 2005, Nielsen knows more than most about the emerging talent.

TIM NIELSEN FACTFILE Born: 05.05.68, London Playing career: 101 first-class matches for South Australia Claimed 316 wicket-keeping dismissals, an SA record Retired: in 1999, to be assistant coach at SA 2002: Spends three seasons as Buchanan's deputy 2005: Head coach of Centre of Excellence

"There's a lot of young players coming through," he said, with special mention of fast bowler Ben Hilfenhaus and batsman Adam Voges.

"The great thing has been this year we've seen a lot of them stand up and perform consistently well at first-class level.

"The big challenge for them will be to graduate to the Test arena and have the same sort of impact."

Born in Forest Gate in east London, 38-year-old Nielsen is 15 years younger than Buchanan.

As a right-handed batsman and wicket-keeper, he played 101 matches for South Australia in the 1990s.

His on-field record is much more impressive than Buchanan's, although less so than double World Cup winner Tom Moody, whose decision to pull out of the running for the job made it a one-horse race.

Buchanan was initially treated with some suspicion when he started his job in 1999 and started bombarding Warne and the Waugh brothers with powerpoint presentations.

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Nielsen knows the players already, and will be a more traditional coach than Buchanan.

In an earlier interview, he said: "My people skills are one of my best attributes. I am open and honest with the players and I think they respond to that.

"I'm not as strong on computers as Buck is, but I know that is the way the game is going and technology can make your life a hell of a lot easier at times."

By retiring as a player in 1999, Nielsen became a coach at a relatively young age, initially as assistant to Greg Chappell at South Australia.

From 2002, he spent three seasons working as Buchanan's assistant.

After two years at the Centre of Excellence, he has connections both to the most senior players and the most junior in the Aussie ranks.

He has some of the old school hands-on approach, but as a young man has half an eye on scientific developments.

In many ways, he ticks all the boxes.

And, perhaps just as importantly, his appointment is a clear statement of intent by Australia for the next Ashes series, while the identity of England's coach for 2009 remains a mystery.