Cricket: We'll keep battering England even if it ruins careers

THE Ashes will not be won in our eyes until we have swept the deck with England.

The only goal, going into the fourth Test at Headingley, is a win that will move us in sight of a whitewash.

Don't think complacency will dog our progress or that the loss of Steve Waugh will give England any hope of restoring some damaged pride.

The Australian public have grown used to us winning and that expectation creates pressure, but it's a pressure we like.

Not wishing to rub salt into wounds but, as you can imagine, the celebrations that followed our victory at Trent Bridge were wild.

The customary changing room lock-in was extended as the champagne and beer flowed in abundance.

Ricky Ponting danced on the table as he bellowed out "Underneath the Southern Cross" in a less than sober state. There were a few sore heads the following morning.

For me that third Test was a landmark as I took my 100th Test wicket, the icing on the cake in a career I thought could be over two years ago following my collision with Steve Waugh in Sri Lanka.

I can recall lying in a hospital bed with a broken leg and wondering whether I would ever play again, let alone at this level.

I've had my fair share of untimely injuries and setbacks so you can imagine I cherish every great moment that comes my way.

I have to say it's pretty much doom and gloom in the England camp right now. But I do have a certain sympathy for my rivals.

Going into this fourth Test there are careers on the line as England try to restore faith in an unforgiving public who feel they have been humiliated in their own backyard.

The England selectors are bound to take a long, hard look at the team when this series ends and inevitably people will pay a heavy price for failure.

It's life and you have to live with it, but that's not to say you can sleep easy knowing you have been instrumental in harming someone else's career.

It's not for me to say how England should address the Test; I can only say what I would do in their position. I know when I pull on the baggy green Australian cap, I go out to die for my country.

England should go into the fourth Test fearless. Let's face it, they have nothing to lose now.

I'm not saying England lack passion but I can't deny they have looked intimidated. Even in the third Test, when they felt victory was in sight, we simply picked them off in the belief that they didn't have the confidence to go on and secure victory.

On a positive side, the appointment of Rodney Marsh as head of their academy is a landmark move for the English.

Everybody wishes him well but his departure from the Australian academy will be mourned. Rodney has played an instrumental role in the success of Australian cricket.

I went to the academy, which is in my home town of Adelaide, in 1995 and Rodney played a crucial role in my career, taking my game to a new level.

Success won't come overnight but, with Rodney at the helm, the future of English cricket is in good hands.

Copyright 2001 MGN LTD
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