I think the English have the best sense of humour in the world.
With shows like Fawlty Towers, Man about the house, George and Mildred, Are you being served, Some Mothers do Have Them, The Good Life, The two Ronnies, to mention a few.
Some of the best loved comedians over the past decades have been English. It is typical of their witty sense of humour that they would have a go at the Australians like this, I'm sure the Aussies will come up with some witty ditties of their own soon enough.

Ronnie Peters, I used to feel much the same about the game until I learned the meaning of "It's not cricket". Essentially it's a game of sportsmanship, cucumber sandwiches and nuance. Today there is a more aggressive and modern aspect to it, and the barmy army typify that.

But if it doesn't grow on you, well, it doesn't

...btw Ronnie I feel the same way about motor sport as you do about cricket. How can revving a motor on steroids be characterised as a 'sport'? No athletic aspect whatsoever.

Sharkfin: I agree. The English are funny. The "IT Crowd" is a new one out of Britain that is really funny. Apparently the same crowd that worked on "Father Ted" are behind it.

"Vicar of Dibley" was also pretty okay. Used to like Ronnie Barker's show "Clarence" too. I also can relate to the American show "My Name is Earl". Must be my cultural background. One attraction of these shows is that they remain within boundaries of good honest fun.

Yes I suppose the Barmy Army are funny too. Well their jokes aren’t - but their faces make up for it.

Bennie. No cricket or sprint-car racing will never “grow on" some people. It would be very monotonous, boring world if it did. Each to their own.

Re: motor sport not being athletic. The original Olympics in around 700BC were all individual pursuits of excellence? Individual sports - no teams. So maybe sprint car driving (not just "revving a motor" as you say)is more aligned to the original philosophy of Olympics than cricket. Speedway is essentially a sport of sportsmanship, meat pies, six packs, family audiences and real action. For the drivers it's about reflexes, good eyes, good control, courage, having the athletic ability to withstand enormous G forces lap after lap, the strength to control a 700hp machine, knowing how to set up a machine for different tracks and so on. Many characteristics are shared for participants in both sports. Different strokes for different blokes.

You say that Barmy Army is "modern and aggressive" and that typifies cricket. So cricket's nuance is “modern and aggressive behaviour” of the audience rather than any innate characteristic? In sprintcar racing the sport and racing itself is modern and aggressive –don’t need to rely on audience and player theatrics. Besides the sprintcars roar would drown the B.A.’s out. Also they’d be too enthralled in the action to be carrying on.

All sports have different aspects that make them interesting or mundane to individuals. I think that limited exposure to the marginal sports is what keeps them marginal.

I love cricket, and I find the Barmy Army tedious rather than offensive.

More importantly, I find it a bit tragic that it could possibly matter to anyone which cricket team our Queen supports. Presumably John Howard supports New South Wales when they are playing in the Pura Cup, but I have never heard anyone suggest that he should therefore not be Prime Minister of all of Australia. How many readers check what footy team their local candidate supports before casting their vote? How many Australian Catholics get worried about whether the Pope cheered for Germany during the FIFA World Cup? It's just not relevant.

Living close to WACA ground in East Perth where there has been a steady infux of East and South East Asian peoples whose interest in things cricket are minimal the last few days have been a revelation to me.Seeing the fans converge on a normally moribund bit of real estate in this building booming suburb the sheer quanta of England supporters and Barmy Army types is unbelievable.I sometimes wonder whether there are any Australians left in Australia.During Sheffield Shield a.k.a. Pura Cup matches at the WACA you hardly hear a murmur of applause from what crowd that is in there. On a piece of ground called Wellington Square are two cricket pitches unused,but on these evenings of this new-fangled "Daylight Saving" all you see played there is scratch matches of soccer by the afore-mentioned Asians. Quo Vadis Cricket.