Worsted by the best ever
Michael Henderson
Peah AS they had hoped, and as everybody else expected, Australia's cricketers walloped England in the third Test to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the series and regain the Ashes, which they reclaimed in 1989 and have shown no inclination to relinquish. The countries have been playing against each other since 1877, and never before has one side been so superior to the other.
If England do manage to beat Australia in 2005 and that's a very big if — it will end a run of 16 barren years. Only once before has either side held the Ashes for a longer period, when Australia was dominant between 1934 and 1953 — and there was the little matter of a world war that suspended the engagement for eight years, It's a grim prospect for the English players and administrators, who cannot hit upon a way of beating these people.
Steve Waugh's team will now press on with the challenge of winning the two remaining Tests. Only once before, in 1920/1, have the Australians won all five matches in a series and, judging by the performances of both sides so far, it appears that nothing, except poor weather, can stop them. Waugh can then retire fulfilled in almost every respect, a veteran of 156 Tests, though he has indicated that he wants to cany on.
Why are Australia so much better? There are dozens of reasons. First, this is an outdoor country, where people play sports of all kinds all the time. Look at the Australian record in golf, tennis and both rugby codes. No country has produced so many champions per head of population. Then there is the long-established view that sport confers on the sportsman international acclaim. For a long time it was almost the only way that Aussies won recognition beyond their native land and, although that situation has changed in the last quartercentury, sport still plays an enormous part in the emotional wellbeing of the country.
Does the state of the England side tell us something about English society? Are we, as a nation, getting softer? Well, take a look around and tell me what you think, Except it's not quite so simple. The English have traditionally loved to climb the highest peaks and tame the wildest seas, and there's nothing namby-pamby about that. Something funda mental has happened in our society, and is continuing to happen, but our history tells us that we are not a feeble bunch.
There are particular reasons for the falling standards on the cricket field. The game is hardly played in state schools, because it requires time that teachers are less inclined to devote and money for equipment. Further up there is the absurdity of a professional game which seems to bestow' its favours on the mediocre, and where the financially crippled county clubs rely exclusively on handouts from a central governing body.
It is better for the time being to praise this superb Australian side, which features three of the greatest players in the history of the game. As well as Waugh they have Glenn McGrath, a fast bowler comparable with any, and Shane Warne, the wrist spinner, who has been the single most important cricketer of the past 30 years. They have taken more than 900 Test wickets between them, and when you've got bowlers of that class you are going to win many more matches than you lose.
Besides, it isn't only England who are getting hammered. Last winter the Aussies thrashed South Africa in five successive matches, at home and away, to remind them just who the world champions are. And champions they are, resoundingly.
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