Where Are They Now?

The England cricket team were full of self-praise at the end of January 2007. They rated themselves very highly even suggesting that they should be number 1 in the world rankings. Who could blame them? They were all on a high after their miraculous 2 – 0 series win in our summer. This was in spite of the 5 – 0 whitewash in the Ashes Test Series and not performing at all well in the One Day series up until the finals.

So where are these world-beaters now?

• Struggling to make the top 4 in the World Cup in the West Indies.
• Got flogged by South Africa in a must win match
• Michael Vaughan fighting to keep the captaincy of one-day side
• Duncan Fletcher is still trying to justify why he is coach
• An inquest is being requested to avoid a third world cup flop

The problem with English Cricket is that they get too far ahead of themselves. It was evident before the Ashes series and it is evident again right now. Two good wins over the world's best does not make a champion team. Rather, playing well consistently over time creates a champion team. The ability to bounce back creates a champion team.

I’m sure that Ricky Ponting and the rest of the team were somewhat embarrassed by their performance at the end of our summer. But what did they do? They did what any champion team would do, they bounced back to the top. Currently they are undefeated in the World Cup and are guaranteed a spot in the semi finals. They are also favourites to win the final.

Who will be their opposition? One this is for sure, it won’t be England.