So the 2006/7 Ashes series came to its conclusion with only the second ever 5-0 whitewash to a rampant Australian side, and the passing into history of the careers of three legends of the game: Glenn McGrath, Justin Langer and Shane Warne.
Any slight chance of a contested final day was extinguished with the immediate dismissal of England's premier player, Kevin Pietersen, caught behind playing defensively to a beautifully pitched Glenn McGrath leg-cutter. England's tail came and went in traditional fashion allowing Justin Langer to accompany his great mate Matthew Hayden to the wicket for the final time with the task of knocking off the required 46 runs. When the winning runs came, the Australians at the SCG cheered as one in celebration of their champion team, who had restored what Aussies consider the natural order in thrashing an ultimately out-gunned England side.
In amongst all the congratulations, there was a definite feeling of sadness around the Sydney cricket ground. For Australians, the end of an era had been reached with the loss of three all-time great cricketers. For England fans, the pain of a series that promised so much but delivered nothing but hurt and disappointment was reflected on the face of England's captain Andrew Flintoff, who nonetheless spoke eloquently in praise of his opponents and their captain, Ricky Ponting.
To be an English cricket fan in Australia over these past six weeks has been what could best be described as a character building experience. The optimism with which the team and their hordes of supporters came out to Australia gradually faded away to be replaced by despondency and occasional despair.
It was a privilege to witness the passing of the old guard of Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath, who surely demand to be placed at the top of the list of any bowling combination in test cricket history. Being able to call on their skills, particularly when bowling together, is the single biggest factor in Australia's dominance of world cricket for the last 12 years. However good Australian domestic cricket is at unearthing test cricketers of the future, I simply cannot believe that it will ever produce two better bowlers in my lifetime.
Since the series began on November 23rd, there have been thousands of England fans who have saved their money to travel to Australia in the hope of watching an Ashes test or two downunder, but only a dedicated few who have done every day of every test. Having experienced the humiliation of a 5-0 defeat in a country that revels in beating its former colonial masters, I have asked myself the question of whether if I'd have known what the result was going to be, would I still have put myself through the 22 days of torment the 2006/7 Ashes series turned out to be.
Despite giving it much thought, I really can't offer a definitive answer. What I can do though is offer some advice to anyone thinking of repeating my efforts in 2010/11. If lying on sunkissed beaches, eating great food and meeting new people are as important to you as the cricket, then Australia is just the job. If however, the cricket, and in particular the performance of your team is the primary factor in you making the trip, I suggest Bangladesh in 2012 is an eminently more sensible option.
Yours in cricket,
Wello
