Cricket

Picture the scene. Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting has just been run out in the Trent Bridge test match and he launches into a tantrum that starts with the umpire and seems to go on indefinitely. Subsequently, even the loss of 75% of his match fee has failed to deter him – so what, exactly, is his point?

According to Ponting, England’s use of substitute fielders during the current Ashes test series is “not within the spirit of the game, which is what we’re all trying to uphold”.

Now that’s interesting. To begin with, it’s comforting to know that upholding the ‘spirit of the game’ is of paramount importance to the Australians. So presumably their insistence, upon arriving in this country, that a 5-0 whitewash in their favour was inevitable and that none of the England players would be capable of selection in their side, was well within the spirit of the game. We must also assume that any form of verbal intimidation characteristically administered by Australian bowlers or fielders would fall well within their interpretation of the spirit of the game. Whereas the right of England to use a substitute fielder who could actually do the job, and therefore might have the audacity to catch or run out an Australian batsman, is not.

The truth, perhaps, is a lot less palatable for Ponting and his players. All of them have been surprised by the quality, commitment and collective spirit of Michael Vaughan’s England team - while some of them, it seems, are beginning to feel their age but don’t know yet how to disguise it. And now that they’re 2-1 down with one to play, the old arrogance is looking a bit frayed at the edges – especially with the realization that, at best, they can only retain the Ashes by drawing the series.

After years and years of Aussie propaganda about those ‘whingeing Poms’, welcome to a bit of role reversal. That’s the spirit, Ricky.