Nathan Lyon has rubbed salt into England's wounds by declaring that there was never any doubt that Australia would bounce back in the return Ashes series.
The Aussies are on the verge of a wonderfully unexpected 5-0 whitewash against their old rivals after battering England in the four Tests in Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and Melbourne to date.
That they have achieved it against a side that was actually tipped by cricket betting pundits to go on and edge the series before a ball had been bowled makes it an even more impressive feat.
However, Lyon, one of the stars for the home side, says there was always optimism in their dressing room that they could inflict a heavy defeat on the tourists and gain revenge for what he felt was an unjust 3-0 scoreline in the previous series.
He said: "We knew it was coming, to be honest. Yes, England beat us over there 3-0, but it was a lot closer [than that scoreline] over there. We had opportunities, but we fell over at the line.
"Here in Australia we have won the bigger moments and won them pretty well. It has been a big reward for what we went through in England."
There can be no doubting Australia's superiority over the past few months and serious questions must now be asked over why it has gone so badly wrong for Andy Flower's side.
However, it would be a dis-service to the Baggy Greens to suggest England's woeful form has been behind the big win for Australia.
Darren Lehmann has galvanized a team that was in disarray just prior to the series in England and they steadily improved on tour before setting their stall out on home soil with some devastating bowling, determined batting and a formidable will to win to blow Alastair Cook's side away.
Fans who have followed the Ashes betting know England have been poor, certainly compared to their recent high standards, but to overlook such a gutsy, passionate response from a side that was again being written off at the start of November is to completely disrespect what they have achieved.
Alex Jackson for DieHard Cricket Fans
No comments :
Post a Comment