Congratulations to the English Cricket Side

[El Presidente]

Congrats to the English crisket side in their ruthless of the Aussies in Adelaide today.

There is a beauty in ruthless efficiency, the ability to put a team to the sword.

Well done lads

[bunburyist]

will be interesting to see what the Aussie selectors do now. Whether the stick with some of the guys like Doherty and North, or put an end to their misery and effectively end their test careers. It'll be one hell of an effort to raise the team now - we'll see if Ponting has anything left in the bag. I much prefer it when it's closer tbh, but not complaining too much

[El Presidente]

will be interesting to see what the Aussie selectors do now. Whether the stick with some of the guys like Doherty and North, or put an end to their misery and effectively end their test careers. It'll be one hell of an effort to raise the team now - we'll see if Ponting has anything left in the bag. I much prefer it when it's closer tbh, but not complaining too much

I don't think we have anyone left

We have been there before as a team. It has been a great 20 year run.

[adic88]

Go England! Yeaaaah. I was watching the game via webcast yesterday and when things were called for weather, i feared the worst. Good job to finish aussie off today.

The Ashes are coming home this year.

[mazolaman]

Yep,well done to the lads.

Nice to see KP put his inner idiot away,and play for the team.

Surprised it only took an hour today,but that last wicket yesterday was the key.

Why didn't Clarke and Hussey bat out time?

The chit chat is that North will stay due to Katich's injury,but the spinner will go.

Gutted that Broad is out due to injury,he will be missed in the Waca.

[Ken Gargett]

congrats indeed.

saw bugger all of it bar the first day, and that was bad enough.

england did all that could be asked and more and, in no way diminishing that at all, if i may refer to the other thread as to whether this is a great side or not (and yes, hardly the time but if not now, i'll forget to do it), i still maintain that this is not. no doubt a very good side and a better side than i envisaged at the commencement of the series. and i'll sadly concede that we are even worse than i thought. for those that would argue against that, i'm still waiting for anyone to tell me one member of this england team, bar possibly pietersen, that would make the aussie side of four years ago. if you want further evidence, the batting line-up for england in this series is exactly the same as it was four years ago when they were beaten 5 zip.

what this series is providing is more evidence of how appalling we are. how monumentally we have fallen. i will concede that it is hard to see who from our current aussie side would make england's team. hussey for collingwood and possibly, though he is a long way from a good keeper, haddin on his batting. no one else. no reason england won't win this 4-0 now. so far, they fully deserve to.

i'll happily eat my words re this team if they go to india and win a full series. i think the current indian team would give them a big surprise.

as for replacements, well there is one very bare cupboard. the selectors crippled phil hughes' career and should be jailed for it. notwithstanding his first test, i never thought johnson should be dropped. one of our very rare potential matchwinners if he gets things together. far better to have that than some bog average players who'll take 2-100 now and then and a bit more if a really friendly pitch. north must go. for smith? at least it will bring the enthusiam of youth and some long overdue competent fielding. clarke may have got 80 in the 2nd dig but yet again, time after time after time, he gets out in the last over before lunch, tea, stumps. soft as. never fails to let us down when the going gets tough. such a shame he is not doing his apprenticeship under border instaed of that fairy at the bottom of the garden - border would have toughened him up or got rid of him. and do you think border would have tolerated this crap. the lot of them would have nightmares for a month and deserve it. doherty for ????? siddle, hilfenhaus, bollinger - seriously, will these blokes take 20 wickets in a series, let alone a test?

congrats indeed to england and my thoughts as to where they rank should not diminish that in any way.

[mazolaman]

Nice one Ken.

The only possible Englishmen who might have stood a chance of getting in your golden era team are Anderson when at his best,and Collingwood when at his best.

I say Anderson because I never thought Dizzy was that good,and Colly because of his great fielding and backs to the wall runs.

But even then,it's a stretch.

Who from anywhere would have got into the great West Indian team?

To be fair,neither team has currently a Flintoff or Lee style fast bowler.For me,this is the major lacking.

Without being at all arsey,I am genuinely surprised how badly this Aussie team have played in this test,and how low the morale and general demeanor appears.

They are making us look better than we are.

I would expect some kind of comeback though....

[El Presidente]

In all fairness Ken the Asssie cricket teams of the past decade (actually two) were some of the finest sides (anywhere) of the past 100 years.

There are few international standout teams currently. We rank with Zimbabwe and dare I say it.... behind New Zealand.

England showed a mental toughness and skill that we just do not posess at this point in time. Hats off to them.

Nothing wrong with a cleanout as long as it is a propper one. We are now building for around 2015

[El Presidente]

Who from anywhere would have got into the great West Indian team?

To be fair,neither team has currently a Flintoff or Lee style fast bowler.For me,this is the major lacking.

Without being at all arsey,I am genuinely surprised how badly this Aussie team have played in this test,and how low the morale and general demeanor appears.

They are making us look better than we are.

I would expect some kind of comeback though....

Warne a certainty. Gilchrist and possibly Steve Waugh (stretch).

For a side to make a comeback you need veteran toughness. That vein of team and self belief that is forged by fire over time led by a core group of hard heads. We don't have it currently.

Down on form, self belief, talent but with million dollar contracts this Aussie team is going to struggle for some time.

The best thing that could happen to us is 1-1 draw engendering some belief. The second best thing is a 2 or 3-0 drubbing so no one can hide (including selectors) and we start from scratch with no illusions.

[winelover]

Thanks Rob, Ken for the sporting congratulations. Although KP has won man of the match, my tip for man of the series is Cook. Another ton in the first innings and so far he is averaging more than one hundred. Also agree twith Kebn that the Aussie selectors should not have dropped Johnson as notwithstanding his performance in the first test, he is a genuine match winner. Now his confidence must be totally shot. Going to be interesting to see how the Aussie's rebound? from here and from England's perspective who comes in for Broad (the Victoria match on Friday should have some bearing).

[Ken Gargett]

Warne a certainty. Gilchrist and possibly Steve Waugh (stretch).

For a side to make a comeback you need veteran toughness. That vein of team and self belief that is forged by fire over time led by a core group of hard heads. We don't have it currently.

Down on form, self belief, talent but with million dollar contracts this Aussie team is going to struggle for some time.

The best thing that could happen to us is 1-1 draw engendering some belief. The second best thing is a 2 or 3-0 drubbing so no one can hide (including selectors) and we start from scratch with no illusions.

that west indies team is a more interesting question. warnie without question. i think mcgrath for the third paceman spot surely. too accurate, too good, too grumpy not to. gilchrist again without question (and for something really sppoky, you know how weird things pop into one's head occasionally? well i walk into the qantas club around 5am in adelaide saturday morning and i thought, you know, i have never seen adam gilchrist in a qantas club. no reason to think that. had not seen him, not thought of him until that moment. 60 seconds later i walked around a corner in the club straight into gilchrist. how bizarre). he was a competent keeper though no healy or knott or tallon but his amazing batting demands it. the latter version of waugh possibly though not the earlier one and probably not for me. hayden must be more than a chance and as badly as he is playing now, at his best ponting was the best player in the world. so 5 or 6 which effectively means half and half which is probably fair.

as for the rest of the series, if you can see us winning a test, i'll take your money. frankly, unless a lazaus with bypass comeback, 4-0 all we deserve and it might mean the imbecilic selectors are gone. though probably not.

[winelover]

From the Sydney Morning Herald:

The Ashes? Forget it - this team would be lucky to beat Bangladesh

[Ken Gargett]

From the Sydney Morning Herald:

The Ashes? Forget it - this team would be lucky to beat Bangladesh

he has been an entertaining writer for a very long time. does a lot of afl and i think got his start doing some terrific stuff from wwwwimbeldon many years ago.

sums up the team well. only thing he got wrong was suggesting clarke showing backbone. on that pitch, i'd have been disappointed not to get a heap but why does he get out so often in the over before a break or when the pressure is on. i think that quote about getting off strike summed it up. spineless.

what is interesting is that in something like 40 tests at number 5 or 6, he was averaged over 50. in the 13 or 16 or whatever tests since he has moved to four, he averages less than 20, i understand. a little of the old graeme hick flat track bully in that.