Australia’s decline as a Test side has seen blame levelled at many areas, but the significantly changed domestic structure over the past couple of decades should probably be at the top of the list.
Australia’s 2007 WC triumph was considered the end of an era with the breaking up of the champion side having begun. A transition to a new bunch of players was necessary. Four years on, what has been the result of the transition?
England’s comfortable victory over Australia A over the weekend was a marked contrast to previous meetings between the two sides over the past 15 years.
England’s 2002/03 tour of Australia saw them attempting to defeat one of the all-time great sides at the peak of its powers. Unsurprisingly, they came up well short.
In the buildup to this year’s eagerly anticipated Ashes contest, we look back at Ashes clashes of the past. Here, we look back at the 1998/99 series which Australia won 3-1.