England retained the Ashes in the Aussies own back yard in the early hours of this morning at the MCG, making staying up with a miserable cold worthwhile, and inspiring me to crack open a can of Fosters that was as uninspiring as the Australian side. After a stirring Australian fightback in Perth, England buried Australia in a match that lacked any real drama such was the one sided way the game developed. It was a performance of ruthless discipline and as much as the Aussie press will slay their team and give little praise to England, it should never be forgotten that this was a beating of the highest class and dominance.

This winter has already been quite bleak, the weather has been freezing, the economy is still faltering and spring seems a long way off, so to get some good news on the sporting front instead of bemoaning our useless football team is a real boost for us cricket fans. My eldest son has been really inspired by it all and is desperate for the new outdoor season to begin as he has spent too many nights up late and too many days yawning in class, but his loyalty has been rewarded, and I know that for the rest of his life he will always remember where he was when England won in Australia. I can still clearly remember when in January 1987 a lady in the office next door to me came running in with a portable radio to say we had won the Ashes down under, who would have thought it would have taken this long to do it again.

Well done England we needed that and as David Gower said on commentary last night “England have ground Australia in to the dirt.”

Now go and wrap the series up in Sydney boys.