The 2010 Ashes series is now in full swing and the big question is can Australia find suitable replacements to make a fight of it having been crushed by England in the Second Test? My guess is yes, since in my view neither team is a world beater and cricket is a strange game. The first cricket book I ever read was "In Quest of the Ashes" by 'Johnny' Moyes, an account of the 1946-47 tour by England to Australia, the first Ashes clash after WW II. Old timers will recall that in the previous Ashes in 1938, Len Hutton scored his record breaking 364 at the Oval when England declared at 903–7 and if I remember rightly, Maurice Leyland (Yorkshire) scored 187 and Joe Hardstaff (Notts) 164, while Denis Compton (Middlesex) failed with either zero or one.
For the 1946-47 Ashes, England sent Len Hutton, Cyril Washbrook, Bill Edrich, Denis Compton, Wally Hammond, Jack Ikin, Godfrey Evans, Alec Bedser, Dick Pollard, Peter Smith, Jim Langridge and Doug Wright along with a few others I cannot recall, and the Aussie lineup included Arthur Morris, Sid Barnes, Don Bradman, Lindsay Hassett, Keith Miller, Ray Lindwall, Don Tallon to name some. Morris, Miller and Lindwall were newcomers.
I can hardly remember what I ate for lunch yesterday, but I am prepared to bet one dollar that in the Fourth Test in 1946/47 both Arthur Morris and Denis Compton scored hundreds in each innings; that in the series both Don Bradman and Sid Barnes played an innings of 234; that in the Brisbane Test there was such a terrible thunderstorm and the wicket was so bad that England declared at 62–7 or was it 32–7; and in the fifth Test at Sydney Len Hutton scored 37, filled with the most beautiful stroke play the author had seen in years.
I also remember that wicketkeeper Godfrey Evans once took 98 minutes to get off the mark! The only photograph in the book that I remember was that of Dick Pollard, the red-haired Lancashire quick bowler, playing the piano at a sing-along, which I found so strange How could a fast bowler also play the piano? To an eight-year-old the combination seemed so odd! The first point to consider when comparing the strengths of those two teams is that due to the war there was no Test cricket for nearly seven years so most cricketers were "rusty", though India toured England in the summer of 1946, and some, like the magnificent Hammond who played in the late 1920s, were way past their best.
In 1945, there were a few war time internationals with pick-up teams when Keith Miller first came into prominence. This meant that both countries were in a rebuilding mode and though Australia won the 46/47 series quite easily, they had more young players of quality at home to choose from. This developing trend continued with Bradman's famous 1948 team in England, when the likes of Neil Harvey, Bill Johnston and Ernie Toshack made their names and poor England did not stand a chance. Imagine having to cope with Miller, Lindwall, Johnston and Toshack with a new ball due every 55 overs at that time!
When England toured Australia in 1950-51, they were still well below strength. It was only in 1953 that England, with Len Hutton as the first professional captain, won the final Test at the Oval when Bill Edrich hit the winning run to give England a famous Ashes victory. For this series, England had young players like Peter May, Tom Graveney, Willie Watson, Fred Trueman and Trevor Bailey and Australia included the likes of Richie Benaud and Alan Davidson, which suggested that both countries were now back to normal in terms of developing new talent.
In 1954 England introduced Brian Statham, Frank Tyson and Colin Cowdrey and in 1956 England got the best of Jim Laker (19 wickets in one Test!) and Tony Lock. Australia were well beaten. In the last 80 years West Indies were down then up and now down again, as is Australia. India and Sri Lanka were down and now up, and so it goes year by year and decade after decade. South Africa did not play Test cricket for years because of their Apartheid policy and look at them now.
Even top class players through the years have had their tough times-Denis Compton, Greg Chappell, Ricky Ponting, Mike Hussey, Shane Watson and Kevin Petersen to name a few. Change is constant for individuals and national teams.
I use the above long winded history lesson to illustrate that in cricket and in all sport, every country has its ups and downs and no matter how hard it is to reach the top, it is even harder to stay there. Daren Ganga understands that. What counts is the outlook/attitude of those in charge and their views on how best to discover talent and then develop it, both on an ongoing basis. The tragedy is that "those in charge" change all the time so there is no consistency/continuity in the official approach.
Hopefully, next week I will relate the story of the 1967 Wes Hall Youth Cricket League, as a near perfect example of how to discover and develop cricket talent, as even 45 years later the likes of Dudnath Ramkeesoon, Larry Gomes, Chris Galt and Raphick Jumadeen are still involved in coaching or administration and I believe Sarran Coonai still plays for Merry Boys! Sarran, Larry and Dudnath went to Jamaica with Wes and me in 1969!
I admit I am a dinosaur when it comes to modern music since I grew up listening to the glorious voices of Enrico Caruso, Beniamino Gigli, Mario Lanza, Maria Callas, Nelson Eddy and Jeanette Macdonald, Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby, along with the Mantovani and Percy Faith orchestras playing the many beautiful Strauss waltzes and I still look at the Arts Channel every night.
So imagine my horror at the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs spending nearly $900,000 to promote the Nicki Minaj (whoever she is) concert in an attempt to accomplish what? Teach, educate, develop, encourage, motivate or simply to entertain and leave young people no better off at the end of the event?
With taxpayers' money being scarce, imagine how sport could have benefitted from that $900,000. Obviously I have no problem with how each person spends his/her money, though I would have happily paid NOT to attend Nicki Baby's concert.
If I went to confession and the priest told me that for my sins my penance would be to sit through a Nicki Minaj concert, I would probably never sin again. While I appreciate a teenager saying the same thing about a Pavarotti concert, it still makes me furious to think of the struggle many of us go through year after year trying to raise funds for children with cancer or sports scholarships for teenagers or planning sports summer camps for boys and girls.
My stomach turns with sadness at the lack of priorities and seeming lack of intelligence as to what would benefit young people in today's drug and crime filled world with the $900,000 donated to a controversial entertainer. Amazing! Astounding! Incredible! Shameful! Stupid perhaps? I would love to know how many Cabinet members approved of, agreed with or knew about that $900,000 decision.
LATE REPORT: Would you believe that in the Third Test Australia was 85/5 before Mitchell Johnson, dropped for the Second Test, top-scored with 63. Then the same Johnson shattered England with 6–38, bowling them out for 187. Mike Hussey, whose place was challenged before the series started, scored 195 in the First Test and half centuries in the Second and Third Tests.
Don't forget Mitchell Johnson was voted Cricketer of the Year in 2009. On Sunday, Australia should put the game to bed and then what will the critics say about team selection? You really can't win!
May I take this opportunity to wish all Guardian staff and readers a very holy and happy Christmas season and lots of sporting pleasure in 2011. God bless! Editor's note: Australia went on to win the Third Test and level the series at 1–1.