NOTTINGHAM, England, 30 August 2005 — Australia have been saying for years that they wanted a game from their oldest rivals.
Whether they quite had Edgbaston, Old Trafford and Trent Bridge in mind is another matter. To have been outplayed once by England was unfortunate. For it to happen twice, and then a third time in going 2-1 down with one to play in the five-match Ashes series, will probably be judged as unpardonable by their supporters and selectors.
No one will know that better than Australia captain Ricky Ponting.
Heads will surely roll in the coming months, even if the marvellously resilient Australians somehow turn back the clock in the fifth and final test at The Oval next month to level matters and retain the Ashes.
Whatever happens, there is an unmistakable sense of an era approaching its end, a dynasty precariously short of worthy successors. The whispers began during the second test and have grown to a clamor since.
Ponting is a world-class batsman but knows he will go down in history as, at best, the man who failed to extend Australia’s record run of eight Ashes triumphs in a row.
His cheeky early-tour grin long gone, he has consistently been out-thought by his England counterpart Michael Vaughan.
Ponting admitted blundering by putting England in first at Edgbaston, a decision which reportedly led to frank words with a less-than impressed Shane Warne. Australia denied a rift but duly lost the match, albeit by two runs. At Trent Bridge, Ponting lost his cool after being run out by a specialist substitute fielder. Spraying abuse liberally, he headed straight into a hearing with the match referee. The resulting fine mattered less than England’s delight at having rattled the world champions’ captain.
