What end ?

Peter Roebuck says that the end of this Aussie team is near. I say, what end ?

He and one half of the cricketing world (including more than half of Eng) think that whatever happens now in the series, we've already seen enough to know that this Aussie team is going down. And why ? Because they are 'aging' !

Interesting, this 'aging' theme. So who are the aging cricketers in the team ? McGrath, Warne, Gilchrist, Hayden. We know what the first two can do, are doing. The only team going down due to them is the Eng team! Gilchrist, so far not firing in the series, has been in good touch recently, and I doubt if a single cricket fan/analyst in the world would still choose anyone besides him for the first choice wkt-keeper of a world 11. Hayden is probably struggling for a long time, and time will decide if he remains a permanent member of this side or not. He has been there before, and may still have enough juice in him to come back strongly.

Anyway, I don't think Hayden's bad form (even retirement) means the Aussie team is going down. And I am no Aussie fan, just want to bring some perspective here.

what's happening is that their batsmen are facing a strong bowling attack for the first time(ever!!). They are reacting as they ever would have, in their 10 year domination period. Its unfortunate for the rest of the cricketing world that we never got to see this earlier. That's all. They still are the same team as they were before this series. Now we just get to know how close England has come in this time duration.

I have no doubts that they will go on thrashing the world after Ashes. And maybe Eng will do the same.

Oh, and yes, Gillespie is also out of form. Does that mean his career is over. What nonsense, he's just 30 ! One bad series, and we predict end-of-reign for top cricketers, top teams ?

And by the way, the series is not over yet, I think.