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9: Australian cricket domination Posted: Monday December 23, 2002 11:39 AM
Is Australia the best test cricket team ever? After a year in which Steve Waugh's men have once again swept all before them on the pitch, only the history books now seem to offer any competition. Even the normally modest Waugh admits his team has already done enough to be remembered as "an exceptional side." By the time England arrived Down Under for the Ashes series in October, Australia had already thrashed South Africa, ranked second in the world, 5-1 over two home-and-away series and whitewashed a strong Pakistan side 3-0 in Sharjah. Yet even the most pessimistic England supporter couldn't have imagined the scale of the defeat that their side was about to suffer at the hands of the old enemy. Foolishly encouraged to bat by England captain Nasser Hussain on the opening day of the first test in Brisbane, Australia had reached a formidable 364-2 by the close. It set the pattern for what followed. England, plagued by injuries and miserable form, lost the first test in three days and surrendered the Ashes after just 11 days of the five-test series. It was the Australians' eighth straight win in cricket's oldest international rivalry and it is more than a decade since they lost any test series at home. Among the many outstanding individuals who contributed to Australian dominance with bat and ball, Matthew Hayden was perhaps the player of the year. The Queenslander blasted seven centuries in 10 tests to confirm his reputation as his country's most belligerent batsmen, even earning comparisons with Sir Donald Bradman. Having conquered the five-day game, Australia's immediate challenge is to raise its limited-overs form in time for its World Cup defense in South Africa in February and March. With Ricky Ponting replacing Waugh as one-day captain, Australia suffered a rare home series loss to Pakistan and was eliminated from the ICC Champions Trophy, the year's biggest tournament, in the semifinals by host Sri Lanka. But nothing less than victory in the Johannesburg final on March 23 is expected. --Simon Hooper
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