England Mop Up

England cleaned up efficiently at Edgbaston as Strauss and Trott went through the Pakistanis like cleaners do along the rows of seats, picking off the rubbish and leaving nothing to chance and giving their side a 2-0 lead in the four Test series. On the evidence of the first two matches, only rain can prevent a 4-0 result in England's last Test series before coming to Australia and taking Australia out for a late Spring date in Brisbane.

This is the same Pakistan that Australia crumbled before less than three weeks ago. The same Pakistan that squared a two match series. England have had two matches to date for a far more conclusive, dare I say emphatic result.

Since the Ashes series twelve months ago, both sides have played ten Tests. By Brisbane, they will have played twelve. Australia has had the marginally easier draw, with home series wins against a West Indies in disarray over player payments and conditions and a Pakistan in disarray over almost everything. They beat a New Zealand in disarray over being New Zealanders and then drew the double away series to Pakistan in England. England, on the other hand, drew a fabulous series against South Africa away, comfortably beat Bangladesh away and then home and are currently whiping Pakistani's from their dinners plates with yesterdays bread.

The stats of the two sides (click on them to enlarge) make interesting reading and point to the weaknesses, particularly the Australian ones - Marcus North for instance or Mitchell Johnson. Katich is the stand out Australian although Michael Clarke is not far off his status and should be immediately promoted to three for the away series against India. Given that four of the ten English Tests were against South Africa and that Australia has had poor opposition yet drew a series against Pakistan and should have lost the Sydney Test, those English stats start to look a might better. They've scored more hundreds, they've taken more five wicket innings and their allrounder, Swann, has far better figures than ours, Johnson. Take 209 from Ponting's total runs and the batting average since the Ashes is 29.5.

England are ascending and unfortunately, owing to players from our golden age who have retired or others who deny they are going to, Australia is on a downward slide. Its not quite free fall yet, but an English victory in Brisbane may bring the edge too close to avoid. To prepare, England will go into camp for a month bowling Kookaburra balls and under the expert guidance of Victorian David Saker, formerly a useful enough pest with the new ball for Victoria and the mentoring of John Buchanan. England prepared well for us in 2009. Looks like they are doing the same this year.

Meanwhile, Ricky "I Have No Intention Of Retiring" Ponting and his sticky plastered attack head off to India so that Australia's batsmen can prepare to face the energised and well oiled English quicks and the bouncy, manic Graeme Swann by playing Indian spinners on low, slow, dead tracks in Chandigarh and Bangalore.

Makes sense to me!