Lessons from England's rise

Observing England's battering of India in the first two Tests from afar, Robert Craddock writes in Brisbane's Courier Mail about the methodical steps taken to reach the top, and how they contrast with the attitudes of other nations, particularly Australia.

When England were thumped 5-0 in Australia in 2007, they set a goal to become the world's premier Test nation. Australia talk a lot about regaining the top ranking but the chatter is shallow and unconvincing - Twenty20 cricket is now Australia's shiny new toy and logic says you can't be Beethoven by day and the Wiggles by night.

Richard Hinds, writing in the Sydney Morning Herald, brings himself agonisingly to the conclusion that England are the best team in the world, having got there by means that reminded him of the great Australian sides of the past.

At 8-124 on the opening day of the second Test at Trent Bridge, and with the ball swinging like a wind chime in a hurricane, England were under siege. The subsequent half-century by Stuart Broad was the sort of match-turning performance once expected of Adam Gilchrist or, given Broad then took 6-46 - including a hat-trick - Shane Warne. Like Old Australia, England's batting has more depth than Curtly Ambrose's bath tub, meaning a quiet start to the series by Alastair Cook has been inconvenient, not fatal.