Probably my last post about cricket for a while

Since I was a young boy, Australian cricket has been building towards a better future. I can just remember the terror the West Indies inspired. I can remember us being the constant underdog. But I can also remember the hope we had in our young players, and the feeling that we were never out of the contest.

My young mind accepted this as the norm. My worldview included these statements:
- Australia is very good at cricket
- Australia can win from anywhere

Those two things are no longer true. And a part of my world has been shattered. That may help you understand how hard I'm taking this Ashes loss. I have been blessed to live the majority of my life with an Australian team that contained:
- Shane Warne, simply the greatest leg spinner ever.
- Glenn McGrath, the most consistent and effective fast bowler seen outside the West Indies.
- Steve Waugh, a freakishly dominant batsman and fierce leader.
- Ricky Ponting, our best batsman since Bradman, period.
- Adam Gilchrist, a man who single-handedly redefined the wicketkeeper-batsman position.
- Matthew Hayden, a scary monster of an opening batsman
and a stack of other supporting names, who could be relied on to deliver when needed.

We are no longer very good at cricket. We are pretty good at cricket.

We can no longer win from anywhere. The only Test we won in England was when England were atrociously, criminally bad. We failed to win the First Test, when our foot was on their throat. And we failed to produce the kind of sparkling match-winning innings that used to turn a scary day four pitch into a thrilling day five run chase.

I kind of don't want to think about cricket for a while. At least Ben Hilfenhaus did well.