The King is Dead. Long Live the King

ST LUKE'S: Nicko left a comment on the post below regarding this morning/yesterday's dramatic Test victory. I don't think it's over the top to say it's the most amazing Test comeback in history. I can think of others where the victorious team have had to work harder, but the utter tactical ineptitude of the English batsman shouldn't tarnish what has truly be a remarkable game.

I'd gotten home late last night. It was Flo's birthday so I was celebrating up North with a couple of lemonades before making a mad dash to get the last, long train home. We've got a dosser in our living room at the moment so I couldn't switch on the digital radio and instead headed straight to bed safe in the knowledge that some semblance of classicism had returned to Test cricket. After all there couldn't possibly be a result in this game, it was simply one small battle in the summer's long war.

I picked up the Metro on the way to work flicking through yesterday's news before settling in to read my book. But when I got to work I was treated to a dockyard full of insults and profanity. Posters had been ripped from walls and ashen, sullen faces were everywhere. It seemed, though until Cricinfo confirmed it I would not believe it, that we had won the Test.

Well I would have to say England only have themselves to blame. Australia, on the other hand, have moved into a position to stem the damage from the impending avalanche of retirements. For my two cents worth I'd swap Damien Martyn for Brad Hodge or Phil Jaques for the Perth Test and then look long and hard, probably at the WA team, for a pair to replace first Hayden and then Langer. I know some bloggers are saying why change a winning team? The other tack is that we should let these champions retire on their terms. Healy wasn't afforded that respect and the introduction of Gilchrist did set up Waugh's record breaking run. So I say that while Martyn has been an excellent player (far better indeed than most of the ignorant Australian public will ever give him credit for) he was certainly no Healy.

As for England in Perth, I just hope the Pom's continue to shoot themselves in the foot. Australian cricket revenge is such a rare meal that I'm happy to savour every spicy moutful.