Australia’s press took to England with subdued vigour in the wake of a comprehensive Ashes victory, secured on the final day of play in the third Test at the Waca. Sydney’s Daily Telegraph, no stranger to hyperbole, was the most enthusiastic, declaring: “Rivalry dead: Brilliant Aussies humiliate pathetic Poms”. pic.twitter.com/7hFgSSFxRbThe overall sentiment, however, was clear, with The Australian declaring the series “no contest” – with “bragging rights urned”. On just why the contest had been so one-sided, Australia’s most-respected cricket commentators churned through a range of theories. Each Ashes series begins with a frisson, but ends in anti-climax.”Another key factor, he argued, was an increasingly packed cricketing calendar, meaning “teams unravel more quickly away, and once the unravelling begins, there is no time or room to re-ravel”.

Source: The Guardian December 19, 2017 01:37 UTC