Australia’s fighting spirit

So, the Ashes will remain in England for another 4 months at least. Rain playing spoilsport, was an unfortunate end to a match which could have kept Australia alive in the series. One may feel sorry for their state, but at the same time it is their ‘immortal’ fighting spirit which is their USP.

I have been a massive admirer of the Aussie school of thought over the years. And this was not just because they were winning continuously. Australia too, had tough times to contend with. However, the speed of their turnaround is what I believe made them dominate world cricket for more than a decade.

There are many instances but would take two into account. Just before their first match of the 2003 World Cup against Pakistan, Shane Warne was banned after testing positive for drugs and with 4 key players injured; the Australian dressing room looked dull.

However, Ricky Ponting inherited Steve Waugh’s optimism and galvanised his men to intimidate the opposition with aggressive cricket. The rest is history. Each member played a key role in Australia remaining unbeaten in World Cups for the second time in a row.

Two years later, Australia lost the Ashes in England for the first time in two decades. This sent shockwaves in the cricketing world, and fear grew that their time as the World No.1 team was up. However, Ponting again was the one who warned them of not being complacent ever again and reinserted how a defeat was insulting to them.

Australia went on to continue their world dominance by winning 16 Tests in a row after that! The Ashes was regained, the Champions Trophy was won for the first time ever and the World Cup was defended successfully for the third time. All in one season!

Yes, they now are facing the inevitable. They don’t possess the same firepower but what still remains in this team is their perseverance, passion and conviction to turn things around despite their problems. Michael Clarke, the captain was fortunate to have been nurtured in an environment where the mentality of just focusing on victory irrespective of the situation was core and where straight forward communication was a must.

This attitude seems to be rubbing off on the others considering Australia not playing that badly in the Ashes with their team being perceived as weaker. I am sure it won’t be too long before Australia return to winning ways again, if they back themselves to always give their 100% and each player knowing what his worth and role is in the team, just as Waugh made his men realize in their successful 1999 World Cup campaign in England.