Wrap - England Have The Wood On Us

1. Well the Ashes series has ended with a whimper and it is clear England have some doubts about their own ability to sweep the series. A bit like their EPL mentality. A draw is better than a loss, seemingly. This will assist the Aussies as they lick their wounds and reminisce.

We need to pay homage to Graeme Wood at this point and welcome Shane Watson to the Graeme Wood school of salvaging a career out of a series demise, by scoring heavilly in dead rubbers and final tests in a series. Watson has already been to Wood's Running Between The Wickets Academy, so this is a natural extension. Where was some of that resolve earlier in the series?

2. The work of Ryan Harris (22 wkts at 20.40) has been tremendous. Haddin has bounced back and been strong behind the stumps. Steve Smith (42.25 avg) has stood up under pressure. Clarke (44.12), Rogers (40.77), Lyon were OK. Rogers cannot play Swan. Siddle (17 at 29.70) glimpses of good but not enough. Starc inconsistent. Agar an amazing batting effort, but forgettable with the ball. Watson (43.55) recovered. Warner, Hughes ummm....Kahwaja is a long way back.

A. Did you know that Hughes averaged more than Cook AND Trott?
B. Did you know Agar scored more runs in the series than Warner?

Clarke has been exposed by Stuart Broad something terrible. Clarke has looked like a rank amateur batting and cannot handle his bouncer. He must be thankful that he did not play against Holding, Garner, Ambrose et al.

3. The series has improved from the cheating with the DRS and the dumb umpiring. However whenever Australia has done well, England have stonewalled. Their negativity will be the undoing of them eventually. At the moment it is frustrating Australia. I would have thought that Pietersen is not the bloke you try and sledge.

4. Ricky Stuart is starting to set too many records at Parramatta. 4-64 is a disgrace. However I am sure Ricky was able to say at the post game press conference that he felt there were a few positives coming out of the game for them and the upside was that Melbourne did not get to 70. How woeful. I hope he sacks a few more yet. His own sacking might be sooner than he thinks too.

Need to tell you that I made a bet with kids at school that six Parramatta wins for the whole season and I owed them a case of Coca Cola. I'm home.

5. Wallabies. I am officially sick of the joke that rugby has become. Seeing bays full of vacant seats at Stadium Australia at a Bledisloe only reflects the general feeling about the game itself. Not the team, the game. Again we see a terrible ref plucked to weave his special brand of mediocrity.

6. AFL. Swans are up and down like a fiddler's elbow. Collingwood impressive in pressure situations. Is anyone tiring of Mick Malthouse? His complaining is exhausting.

7. Warnie. His spray of Steve Waugh was intriguing. Great to see he has gotten over his disappointment all those years ago in the Windies when Lara was smashing him everwhere.

8. Manly, Roosters, Souths and Melbourne...forget about the rest, but watch out for the Cowboys...