I will try and make this short so I can be off the computer by the time mother gets home (I dunno what it is with parents and computers). I am actually very surprised to even find cricket as a topic in a site like this, so I might as well take advantage of it. For those who have no idea (and I am sure there are many), cricket is a colonial (i.e British) sport of ’gentlemen’ which has been existence for some 200 to 300 years. In recent years it has been expanded out somewhat and now 9 national teams compete against one another in various forms of the game.
The Australian team is now regarded, without doubt, as the benchmark of world cricket. Due to various favourable conditions, Australians have adapted to cricket with great ease and have been the best team in the world for probably 5 years now. In both test match (which is the traditional form of the game), and in the now-commonplace one day internationals, Australia has reigned supreme, taking out not only the unofficial test match world championship, but the official and infinitely more broadcasted World Cup, which was in 1999. The team has mastered both forms, introducing a revolutionary split-team idea, whereby players are picked for their suitability or speciality in either of the forms of the game.
While the one-day superiority is in dispute with South Africa, in test matches the team is undoubtedly the best. Their record-breaking run of 16 victories in a row only recently came to an end in India, regarded as the toughest place to win away from home, due to the much different conditions (and the Indian umpires!). Since then, they have crushed England in the first match of the Ashes series (which is a historical title), and look to have a monopoly on the rest of the series.
The work ethic of the team, combined with a ruthless mental edge and a remarkable depth of talent has certainly been the main contributing factors. Steve Waugh, the current captain and arguably the most successful, has provided a toughness to the team which complemented the seamless talent present under Mark Taylor and the legendary Allan Border in previous years. The current team is a mix of the young and old, with veteran Michael Slater teamed with Matthew Hayden, who has been the biggest revelation of the year, along with new inclusion Damien Martyn, who has waited years for his deserved chance. His England tour stats are remarkable.... over 600 runs in only 7 innnings, at an average of well over 100. Poor Justin Langer, in poor form, had to make way for him despite being the most prolific run maker over the last year. However, he hit form in a touring match and is a ready replacement in case of injury.
The twins Mark and Steve Waugh, along with Ricky Ponting, provide the backbone of the batting lineup, and their experience and proven skill has been the saviour of the team several times. The bowling is certainly the best lineup in the world.... The impeccable Glen McGrath, coupled with the fire and accuracy of Gillespie and the extreme pace of new blood Brett Lee, coupled with the greatest spin bowler in history, Shane Warne, oozes venom and class. The bowling lineup has literally bowled the team to victory on many occasions, leaving the batsmen to have a bit of practice polishing off small totals. Along with wicketkeeper/batsman Adam Gilchrist, this team is arguably the greatest of all time, right up there with the West Indies of the ’80’s