Will the captain go down with the ship?
Malcolm Conn compares Australia's Ashes capitulation in Melbourne to the Titanic's tragic end
Nitin Sundar
25-Feb-2013
Malcolm Conn compares Australia's Ashes capitulation in Melbourne to the Titanic's tragic end. Writing in the Australian, he wonders whether the selectors can afford to axe the captain Ricky Ponting, whose experience makes him vital in this time of upheaval.
There will be no emotional retirement. Cricket Australia would have to sack him, and that appears most unlikely because his experience is needed and the focus will immediately switch to the one-day World Cup on the subcontinent early next year.
Robin Scott-Elliott of the Independent notes how the media has turned against Ponting's team, and the growing feeling that Michael Clarke may not be the right man to take over.
Gnashing of teeth remained the overarching theme of the day. Back to The Herald Sun and Andrew Webster: "We can cop the hiding. We can swallow that England is better. We can even stomach the Barmy bloody Army. But what we want to know now is how Australian cricket, the national sport, will be recovered and rebuilt." And finally, a historical summation from Greg Baum: "Rarely since the First Fleet dropped anchor has Australia been so comprehensively claimed for England."
Australia may have been disjointed and off-colour, but the series equally highlighted the ruthless efficiency of the England outfit, arguably the "most disciplined and well-drilled to ever undertake an Ashes tour" according to Vic Marks, writing in the Guardian.
Kevin Pietersen apart, the durable technicians rather than the dashers have scored the runs; Cook and Jonathan Trott just kept on batting. Meanwhile, whispering Jimmy Anderson has been the best pace bowler in the country, while Graeme Swann is obviously the best spinner.
It may sound sacrilegious to the old-timers but these men now deserve a mention alongside Tyson and Compton, Boycott and Snow, Gower and Botham, Gatting and Broad. They have joined a very select band.
Also in the Independent, Peter Roebuck sums up the excellence of England - "a team without heroes or egos, a hard-working, tough, thoughtful and committed outfit that has avoided bleating and inexorably crushed a shaky opponent".
England's work in the outer has been athletic and alert. It's hard to recall a modern Australia side being outrun by any touring team, let alone by traditionally heavy-footed Poms. Strauss's outfit had no weak links, no Phil Tufnell or Eddie Hemmings, to provoke caustic comment. Everything, too, has been rehearsed, including the relays and flick-backs. No stone was left unturned.
Nitin Sundar is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo