Frank Malley: Country expected every man to do his duty

Published on Friday 7 January 2011 15:08

HOURS after the champagne corks had popped and the victory speeches were exhausted, England's cricketers sat in a contented huddle in the middle of the Sydney Cricket Ground and drank in the history.

There was a lot to take in. Not least the fact that a mere 194 days after England's rag-tag footballers trooped off the field in Bloemfontein after the most humiliating of 4-1 World Cup defeats against Germany, the nation's cricketers had restored sporting pride with a 3-1 series win in Australia.

The first for 24 years. The best in living memory. Perhaps England's greatest Ashes feat of all-time.

And do you know what was the best thing of all? It is that the victory was achieved by every man doing his duty.

This Ashes triumph cannot be attributed in the main to one man performing Herculean feats, such as Ian Botham in 1981 or Andrew Flintoff in 2005. Yes, there were momentous achievements, not least the fact that opening batsman Alastair Cook set a new world record for a five-Test series by spending 2,171 minutes at the crease, scoring a double century, two further centuries and two half centuries in seven innings for a total of 766 runs at an average of 127.6.

Only Wally Hammond has been more prolific for England in an Ashes encounter but, while Cook deserves his marathon stay in the sun as the obvious man of the series, this was an England side in which every player came to the party. That is why it was sport at its finest.

It is one thing for gifted individuals to deliver near-perfect performances day after day in the manner of tennis' Roger Federer. It is much rarer for a team to blend dogged application with flair, all wrapped around astute tactics and strong leadership.

That is what England have done. Ian Bell and Jonathan Trott and Matt Prior have been solid and reliable.

So has Kevin Pietersen, although England's batting maverick, whose 227 in the second Test in Adelaide, England's first win of the series, was a highlight, would probably not appreciate such a description.

England's bowlers have been magnificent, led by the swing of James Anderson and the spin menace of Graeme Swann, but ably supported by Tim Bresnan, Chris Tremlett, Steven Finn and not forgetting Stuart Broad.

But none of it would have happened – and here Pietersen the ego spoke some truth when he claimed it was all down to him giving up the captaincy – without skipper Andrew Strauss and coach Andy Flower. The era of former coach Duncan Fletcher brought science, technology and professionalism to England's training and diet. The short time of Peter Moores brought angst and uncertainty.

Now the inclusive nature of Flower and Strauss has turned England into a formidable fighting unit as well as pulling on the Three Lions shirt great fun. What a contrast with the men in the baggy green caps.

"Can't bat, can't bowl, can't field, can't even think straight," sneered one newspaper headline after Australia's third innings defeat of the series. "Our Worst X1," screamed another inside a suitably black border.

There is no doubt about it. Australian cricket as it was is dead. It is like Monty Python's Norwegian Blue. It has ceased to be the most dominant sporting team on Earth as it was less than a decade ago when the mere mention of Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath and Adam Gilchrist struck fear into opponents. They are ex-champions.

Chances are, after three Ashes defeats, we will not see Ricky Ponting again. The mood in Australia is for a general clear-out. Start again. Bring in players who can play and who care. It is understandable but, in truth, it would be a knee-jerk reaction. Australia had it too damn good for too damn long. There was bound to be a backlash following the retirement of so many legendary characters. But who cares? This is England's time. A time to savour the deeds of Cook and Bell and Anderson. A time to say farewell to the retiring Paul Collingwood, a foot-soldier cum embodiment of all that is honourable in English cricket.

A time to give thanks for the level-headed inspiration of Strauss, whose occasional flaws in his field placings and bowling changes are countered by his ability to send out everyone rowing in the same direction.

A time, too, to realise that a young and hungry England side, who lost heavily, we should remember, in Perth, can get better. That is the most exciting thought of all as they prepare now for two Twenty20 matches and seven one-day internationals.

This England team will not go the way of Michael Vaughan's over-celebrating gang of 2005. It is hard to see a 5-0, 2007-style, whitewash following the rout in Sydney. More likely, Strauss and co can usurp India as the number one cricket team on the planet. Who knows, they could rule the cricketing world for the next decade.

They have made history. Stand by for a glorious future.