First they lose to a county side. Then Bangladesh thrash them in a one day game. Then they lose in a miserable fashion in a twenty20 match to England. Then McGrath keeps getting injured in the wrong moments to miss 2 of the 4 played tests of the Ashes.

And now, Essex has thrashed 500 in a day.

It could not have gotten any worse for the Aussies. Christmas has come early for England.

It all boils down to the Oval where Australia can still manage to save the summer by winning the match. A weird English summer of Ashes party comes to an end with the September 8th-12th final Ashes test.

The sporting world is full of anticipation.

Ahead of the historic Ashes test which marks the last test in which Benaud will commentate from England, the legendary leg spinner and comemntator spoke to cricinfo.

Some Benaud talk:

On the historic relevance of the series

Now, it’s my view - and people may disagree with it - but I think this series shades the 1981 tour. And that’s saying something, because a long time has passed since then. I’ve always held the view that `81 was the best but now I think that this series has just gone ahead of it in my mind.

Who will win?

Anyone even half-thinking of making a prediction would be out of his mind, when you take into account what happened at Edgbaston, Old Trafford and Trent Bridge.

And finally, on the future of Australian cricket

Warne has been talking about going on till 2007, while McGrath - as we’ve already seen this summer - bowls quite magnificently when he’s fit. There will be changes, but one thing you can be sure of, there won’t be any panic.

The big question is who should England play if Simon Jones does not recover for the 5th test. Does England include Chris Tremlett, inexperienced yet promising? He is the logical next in succession in the squad. But a debut in the moest crucial test for England is years will be a huge gamble.

Collingwood? I dont think so as bowlers win test matches and going for him is not an option from any angle.

What about bringing back some old war horses? Caddick is injured. He is not an option either.

So I ask the question. Not why Darren Gough but why not Darren Gough. Yes he has retired from test cricket but I dont think he will refuse a request for a come back for the crucial test.

Gough has been England’s best strike bowler since Bob Willis and Ian Botham writes cricinfo. And its not that Gough is now old and thus cannot match up to international standard. He is still active as a one day international and despite recent ordinary performances in the tri series involving Australia and Bangladesh and the Natwest Challenge, has shown he still has it in him.

Certainly a better option than raw Tremlett. Gough’s performance in the one day series in South Africa is a point in case:

England in South Africa, 2004/05 [Series]
SA 6 58.1 241 11 3/52 2/14 21.90 4.14 31.7 0 0

One day and test cricket are different ball games but that certainly indicates Gough has not lost it all yet.

First things first. Congrats to England on the victory. Well played and they have showed without a shadow of a doubt what a quality side they are.

Second thing.

The series is not over. Whether England claim back the Ashes or not, no one will deny what a quality side they are. However, to gain appreciation as the best side in the world, a distinct possibility England face, the road is still a long one.

Firstly they have to win back the Ashes. A draw series will mean they would have to wait till the next Ashes in Australia to hope to get the title of the best side in the world. If they do get back the Ashes, they then have to have draws/victories in India and Pakistan. After that there is a fair possibility they will be called the best side in the world.

Exciting times ahead for world cricket.

When he have the facility to conclusively state out or not out, we should use it.

Hawk eye and other inconclusive technologies should not be used but if the fans and people sitting in the media boxes and dressing rooms can see a decision being made is clearly wrong on tv (like inside edge given out lbw), it brings the game to unnecessary disrepute.

The day saw some brilliant cricket. But we remember the error decisions most. It would not have happened 40 years ago to this extent as the cameras would not have been that conclusive and the media was not as strong and communication not as fast.

First McGrath is injured. He feels there are some voodoo charms behind the most imperfect of timings for his injuries. Then England bat like champions on a flat pitch after being 5 down courtesy of superb batting by Flintoff and Jones and captaincy lacking in innovation by Ponting - giving the English easy runs.

The pitch is flat. So you would expect the Aussies to target a score of atleast 400 if not go for a 600. They are 5 down at the end of the day. The batting form is woeful and the English bowling is unrelenting.

Maybe the English tabloids should apologise to the fans for their over reaction on their home team after the first test. Maybe the Aussie tabloids should learn from this and not create their own over reactions. Bleak chances of either of those happening.

The weather forecast says bleak chances of rain. Meanwhile in another cricket match, India and New Zealand play one of the strangest matches in one day cricket history. First the kiwis collapse but manage a total of around 220. Then India collapse, stage a recovery with 8 wicket down, only to lose the 9th and 10th before some thing dramatic could happen.

Cricket is a funny game.

With McGrath out of the 4th test, Australia decided to go with 4 regular bowlers which meant Ponting had to share the burden of the attack. That England have not amassed a huge total and lost 4 wickets is the good luck of Australia, helped by the rain no doubt.

I do not see England losing this match without doing some really stupid stuff.

Its a tough few days in the office for Australia.

The more I think of it, the more I feel Australia should play 5 bowlers in the 4th test. Bowling wins test matches and to get 20 wickets a line up of McGrath, Gillespie(before he went out of form), Lee/Kasporwicz and Warne looks strong.

But a line up of a dicey McGrath, Lee, Warne and Tait does not.

Should Australia go with MacGill despite the curator saying it wont support the spinners or Kasporwicz as a 5th bowler? If the Aussies feel the pitch has some thing for the spinners, I would have chosen MacGill as the 5th bowler.

I know the long tail becomes a problem. But equally big if not bigger is the problem of a high probability that Australia will not be able to take twenty wickets with an attack of McGrath (not fully fit), Tait (untested), Warne and Lee (unpredictable).

Really underlines the problem Australia is facing.

highly unlikely the Aussies will go with 5 bowlers though.

The hype surrounding the Ashes has been proven to be real. With 3 tests gone and the score tied at 1-1, the 4th test is one of the most awaited test matches. I certainly cannot remember a match for which I have had more anticipation in my 14 years of cricket watching.

Champion teams have had their eras in test history. When Australia beat the West Indies in West Indies in 1995, they started their era as test champions ending a 20 year reign of the West Indies. I still do not fathom the current English team will be able to win the Ashes. But the possibility is very real. It is this possibility which elevates the 4th test of the current Ashes series to another level.

Can England win the 4th test? Or will Australia bounce back stronger than before? I am of the belief the second possibility will occur. But cricket is an unpredictable game.

England will not be proclaimed world champions isntantly. But if they beat Australia in England and then go on to show mettle in their winter tours of Pakistan and India, there will be many who will believe England is the best team in the world.

If England cannot manage to win or draw the Ashes, such thoughts of England replacing Aussies as world champs will be put to the trash can. This is why the match is eagerly anticipated. It has much more at stake than the outcome of a single match.

Between work 10 AM to 8 PM the sport action I have been able to catch up has been the excellent Ashes contest and the football.

The Ashes have truly surprised me. I did not give the English a chance to win even a test even though I was sure they would give a good fight. I have never seen a close Ashes contest and feel luck I am able to catch the best Ashes contest since 1989.

I managed to catch three Premiership games over the weekend. Liverpool and Gerrard could not score but I liked the well fought out match nevertless. Arsenal vs Newcastle was scratchy but the backup strength of Arsenal looks good. Chelsea vs Wigan was a classic and a heartbreak when Crespo scored.

Too bad the net connection in my room has been non existant for the past few days resulting in a dormancy in posts in the blog.