Ashes in sight but can England go on to dominate?

Magnificent Aussie and Windies sides set benchmark Cook’s men will struggle to match as they tackle three forms of game
Smash and grab: Jimmy Anderson runs out Steve Smith yesterday but England are unlikely to emulate the great West Indies and Australia sides for which Malcolm Marshall
Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images
5 August 2013

Although England are just a draw away from clinching the Ashes for the fourth time in the last five contests, they know they must aim higher. Yet in the age of relentless fixture lists and Twenty20 cricket, is there a ceiling for every international cricket team?

As they prepared for a day interrupted constantly by rain delays at Old Trafford, England knew they were within touching distance of retaining the urn. They won in the subcontinent last year and, should they prevail in South Africa in 2016, it would complete the set — but attaining the standards of the very best sides might still prove beyond them.

There are two obvious benchmarks in the modern era for any side aspiring to greatness: the West Indies team of the late 1970s and 1980s, and the Australian sides of the mid-to-late 1990s and early 2000s.

Those teams imposed their will upon opponents year after year, in Test after Test, and in many different conditions. Their consistency was incredible; their vulnerabilities few. Consider the statistics: West Indies did not lose a Test series between 1979-94, until they were finally overcome by Australia.

Australia were similarly impregnable, posting 16 consecutive Test victories between October 1999 and February 2001, and again between December 2005 and January 2008. England’s successful mission to reclaim the Ashes in 2005 was thrilling because of the 18-year wait but also because of the quality of the team they defeated.

During England’s most impressive period in recent years, which ran from the start of the 2010-11 Ashes until the end of the summer of 2011, they had their sights on a place in the pantheon. Graeme Swann even expressed the side’s desire to be ranked alongside the best teams in history — a rare loss of caution indeed from a group of players who usually swear by it in their dealings with the media.

Six defeats in 11 Tests during 2012 put the brakes on those ambitions and even though England have regained their balance under Alastair Cook, modern cricket puts extreme pressure on elite squads. Three forms of the game mean players have to be rested and rotated, their workloads managed carefully.

And with so much limited-overs cricket played, those involved in two forms or more must make technical adjustments, which was far less of a problem for the greats of the past. “It would probably be more difficult to be that dominant,” said Ian Bell, England’s best batsman in this series.

“With the number of formats we play, it would be incredible effort for a team to be number one in all three over a period of time. It’s hard for players to play in all three forms.

“When you look at fast bowlers and the demands on their body, it is inevitable they will be rested from time to time and that rest is so important. The small details make the difference.”

What might encourage England — or any side chasing global domination — is the fortunes of the finest Australian sides in recent times.

Twenty20 cricket did not become a serious pursuit at international level until the first World Cup in 2007, yet the Aussies’ ability to switch from Test to 50-over cricket proves one form need not always affect another.

Australia won the World Cup in 1999, 2003 and again in 2007, when their teams were also far ahead of the rest in the Test arena.

Those efforts give their current captain, Michael Clarke, the belief that such goals can be reached again. “I hope Australia can do it again,” Clarke said. “It won’t be in my time but I hope I can play a part in helping us get back to number one.

“Just because there’s more cricket, there’s no reason why a single team can’t be as dominant.

“You can probably be even more dominant, because there are three forms of the game played now at international level, instead of just two. It’s hard to make comparisons because different generations played in different conditions and in 10 years’ time, things could be different again.

“While Test cricket is played in the same way, which I hope it will be for long past my time, you will still be judged on your performances in that form of the game, before one-day and Twenty20 cricket.”

As Clarke acknowledges, Australia do not have at the moment enough accomplished cricketers to dream about emulating the sides led by Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting.

England are confident the present generation, and those fighting to break into the team, will keep them near the summit for some years yet.

Whether they will be remembered as one of the best of all time, though, is entirely another matter.

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