Australian cricket's disappearing act
Peter English
25-Feb-2013
AFP
Robert Craddock writes in the Daily Telegraph about how the mighty Australia have not fallen, but disappeared.
Australia's cricketing landscape has been devastated since its grand win in the 2007 World Cup final against Sri Lanka in Barbados - just 21 months ago. There are six survivors to play New Zealand at the MCG on Friday night.
A photo snapped just after the 2007 match shows the Australian side in all of its celebratory glory. If it was a painting by a famous artist it might have been called The Night of the Vanishing Stars, or simply The Mountain Top - because, for Australian cricket, life has never been as good since that moment.
In Ricky Ponting’s column in the Australian he says people have to be a little patient with some of the younger players during the current rebuilding.
There are nearly 80 one-day games between now and the next World Cup so that means somebody coming into the squad has the opportunity to gain loads of experience before the tournament. Fans need to show patience at a time like this, but I know from years of watching AFL that teams in a rebuilding phase can give you great satisfaction.
The Allan Border Medal, which Ponting shared with Michael Clarke, is not all about the players, with the wives also starring on the red carpet entry. For pictures and reports on the first ladies of the game, head to the Courier-Mail.
Peter English is former Australasia editor of ESPNcricinfo