Rome wasn't built in a day...

"You are never given a wish without also being given the power to make it true. You may have to work for it, however" -- Richard Bach

Australia marches on. Thirteen Test victories in a row. The Aussies had a dream and they lived to make it true. This is a team which was in the dumps 15 years ago when KJ Hughes flew away to South Africa with the best of the talent in the country. What triumphed between the World Cup victories of 1987 and 1999 was the ability of the Australian system to recognise ability. It is not a mean achievement to win 13 Test matches in a row. And all effort to compare Clive Lloyd's and Steve Waugh's teams is a poor attempt to disgrace the other. Let us salute the Aussies who are playing now, for we have already written and sung praises for Lloyd and his team. There is a certain joy in watching the Aussies play the game for they believe that the biggest room in the world, is the room for improvement.

Remember when you see a man at the top of a mountain, he didn't fall there. He climbed up the mountain. There is Australia, South Africa and the rest. It is just that they have a good system in place that churns up the best. Never have these teams wondered who would replace whom? Maybe the South African team misses the presence of their disgraced ex-captain Hansie, but even without him they are playing like champions. There is a lesson to be learned here for all the Test playing countries. Nothing can substitute competence. It is about time countries like India had a look at their domestic cricket (the so called grassroots). The Ranji Trophy is a shocking mockery of cricket played to empty stands. "Don't ask for a light load, but rather ask for a strong back". That is what being aggressively competent is all about. Recently, for the Deodhar Trophy matches, Hemang Badani and Sridharan Sriram were not included in the South Zone team. Selectors and officials of the board are the ones who should be made accountable. It is about time we had a total overhaul of the domestic cricket structure played in India. It is outrageous that we still follow the old colonial dogma of 'Divide and Rule'. Why do we have to split India as five zones? Why can't we have a three tier National Cricket League? Where teams get promoted and demoted. It is cruel that some of the senior cricketers in the south, for example, have never played a first class match at Eden Gardens. It cannot be the burden of logistics, for the BCCI is too rich for its own good. It needs a vision as George Bernard Shaw said once, "Some men see things as they are and ask why. Others dream things that never were and ask why not."

Geoff Marsh was an integral part of the Australian team that had a dream. The Aussies had it in them, the discipline, which is the bridge between goals and accomplishment. Marsh was in charge of the team that won the World Cup last year. He understands that Indian cricket has to be reconstructed from the junior level and upwards. Rome wasn't built in a day and the change we are looking for would not come overnight. We as a nation which includes the players, board, public and the media have to have some kind of faith and patience. The Aussies are on a roll and there is hope that the Aussie we hired would fix our problems. Mark Twain said once, "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."