"The West Indies dominated for 15 years and everyone thought that was OK. I played through that. I think we should beware because in the not-too-distant future, we could struggle. We should rejoice in the system we've got in place because a lot of hard work has gone into it. There's been a lot done behind the scenes . . . and now we're leading the way."
-- Alan Border
It gladdens my heart to see such quotes. Ricky Ponting said much the same thing recently, as did John Buchanan. AB in particular would remember the bad old days and is adamant Australia won't relive them under his watch. More power to him.
Speaking of the bad old days; for a painful reminder you need only to have watched Fox Twelve this morning. They've just shown six hours of Ashes highlights. Well, they weren't exactly my idea of highlights, the last two hours were Edgbaston '85. Richard F***ing Ellison, anyone?
As it turns out, I recorded the first two hours. Try and guess which match it was. I'll give you a hint; Chris Old - 29. From now on whenever an idiot commentator bemoans the lack of a contest I'll savagely brandish the tape at the radio. "Look at THIS," I'll bellow.
Feel the burn.
Too right. I never grow tired of seeing the English lose at cricket, and this year they are getting uppity.
Did you notice that in the South African tests the English commentators spend more time talking about the Australian team than about the game in hand.
The Australian team should look to dominate the English for at least a quarter of a century.
Posted by: SB | 10 January 2005 at 15:16
When I was young and foolish, I used to think such things about Collingwood.
Now I'm older and wiser I think, "Oh, to be young again."
Posted by: Sedgwick | 10 January 2005 at 15:51
Absolutely spot-on, SB. That's wahat I meant the other day by them being so defeatist. They kept going on and on and on about how they were in trouble and how "the Australians wouldn't do it like that".
In fact, it was bizarre.
Don't worry, Sedge. I'll pick up your slack. I've bile to spare.
Posted by: Tony.T | 10 January 2005 at 17:06
"However, Border conceded that while this era of domination has been satisfying and positive, if it continued for much longer, it could turn negative.
"If we were to have this conversation in two years, maybe then (Australia's dominance) might have been going for too long," he said."
WTF? If we were to have this conversation in TWENTY years, Australia's domination should be just about right, I would suggest.
Posted by: Scott Wickstein | 10 January 2005 at 17:54
I happened to be reading the "ABC Cricket Book, Australian Tour of West Indies 1978" last night and here's the tourists (with test experience in brackets):
Bob Simpson (56 ), Graham Yallop (3), Ian Callen (0), Wayne Clark (4), Gary Cosier (12), Trevor Laughlin (0), Steve Rixon (4), Craig Serjeant (7), Peter Toohey (4), Jeff Thomson (26), Graeme Wood (0), Bruce Yardley (0), Rick Darling (0), Jim Higgs (0), Kim Hughes (3). Take out Simpson and Thommo for a total of 37 tests experience for the rest of the team.
"Tony Cozier selects some West Indies Possibles":
Clive Lloyd, Colin Croft, Wayne Daniel, Maurice Foster, Roy Fredericks, Joel Garner, Larry Gomes, Gordon Greenidge, David Holford, Michael Holding, Alvin Kallicharran, Collis King, Deryck Murray, Vivian Richards, Andy Roberts, Lawrence Rowe, Irvine Shillingford.
Like lambs to the slaughter. Unbelievably the Ozies actually won a test and drew another, losing the series 3-1.
No doubt the people bemoaning the lack of competition are the same ones that left these blokes high and dry and then stuck the boot mercylessly into Kim Hughes.
Posted by: pat | 10 January 2005 at 19:32
I reckon the Brits went downhill after they freaked out over the possiblity of letting "personalities" flourish. Randall was OK 'cos he was a gentleman and not a player, but Beefy really put the wind up them. "Damnit, the man dyes his hair!" Since then, they'll bring in anyone regardless of skin colour or background, but as long as you don't see the girlfriend's tits in The Sun.
Whereas Australia doesn't give a shit. True talent here can be as tacky and bumptious as Warney, as low key and professional as Gilchrist or as utterly boring and effective as AB - as long as they beat all the other teams, and grind England into fishfood into the bargain.
"We don't want gentleman or players, we want winners."
Posted by: Nabakov | 10 January 2005 at 22:31
I don't think the Poms are too confident on beating us, we've got the big Indian sign over them. Will take a long time for them to be in a position to challenge out test set up.
Jeez, Tony some strange old names in those lists. Was Richard f***ing Ellison that swing bowler who had an amazing one-off test series against us and vanished ? A latterday Bob Massie ? And who is/was Rick Darling ?
Posted by: Brett Pee | 11 January 2005 at 04:56
I was a youngster at my most rabid cricket-following stage right smack bang in the middle of the Windies dominance.
15 years of heartache it was. (Reminds me of the Rod Stewart quote that went something like, "nothing has cost me more money and heartache than women and following Scottish football.")
Brett, Rick Darling was a flash-in-the-pan batsman for West Oz. If memory serves, he almost died on the pitch one day when he inhaled his chewie after being hit by a ball!
Posted by: Big Ramifications | 11 January 2005 at 11:14
Ellison played about ten tests over about two years. Bob Massie is a good metaphor.
Darling was from South Aussie and he got some runs in his first test, in Adelaide in 1978 but never went on with it.
Darling and Graeme Wood both debuted in that match. If memory serves me right Ian "Mad Dog" Callen debuted in that test, too. I'm pretty sure it was his only test.
By the way, Darling wasn't a Richard, he was a Warrick. Interesting, no?
Posted by: Tony.T | 11 January 2005 at 14:23
Well F me, I must have been getting him confused with Ric Charlesworth.
Posted by: Big Ramifications | 11 January 2005 at 16:49
Or even Craig Serjeant
Posted by: Tony.T | 11 January 2005 at 16:56
He was underrated.
Posted by: Brett Pee | 16 January 2005 at 01:52