Not many people like winners. Especially not the generality of whiners.

Misery loves company and success invites resentment.

A few relevant comments from David Stove's essay `Cricket Versus Republicanism' (in the book of same name):
"... at cricket the Australian is a Pom-beating animal. The margin of superiority is slight, but it is consistent, and therefore calls for explanation. I have heard dozens of theories advanced to account for this. My own belief is that it is caused by a difference in attitude towards the opponent: that whereas the Australians hate the Poms, the Poms merely despise the Australians. I was very interested, therefore, when Neil Harvey, during the wonderful centenary test just ended [1977], said something similar only in politer words: that Australians always <I>want</I> to win more than their English opponents do".

Australia was beaten.

Happy now?

Will we have any more friends?

Yep, as an avid bush cricketer in my time, Hamlet, reckon the good beating our blokes got, should do them good, because the whole team had got too hungry, as we used to say in the old days.

Was glad to see them shaking hands with the Indians at the end, with almost a look of relief on their faces, as if to say - we bloody needed this....

Maybe even to draw the series might be now the best thing, giving us back the decent sort of sportsmen we had in the old days of Miller and Lindwall, even though Keith Miller liked the ladies too much, maybe he was more like one of our chivalrous Knights of old.

Probably still all bullsh-t but maybe there's a bit of truth in it?

Cheers - BB, WA.

Oh dear,

'Nationalism and foreign policy are changing in Australia. The Howard years were marked by what we might call “conflict nationalism”. We played hard on regional security and illegal immigration. We played in defiance of international sentiment on Iraq and Kyoto. We played strictly by the rules of national security. By contrast, the Rudd Government seems to subscribe to a different game plan, better described as “co-operative nationalism”, where international rules change the way we play and where collective efforts are made to improve the quality of the game.'

This author equates the winning Australian team's efforts, but apparently not it's results, with the efforts of John Howards era. There is absolutely no doubt that era has had a very positive effect on the standard of living of all Australians.

But now things are changing and Rudd is equated with a more 'co-operative' and 'collective' effort. It is fearful for both Australians and the Australian cricket team if this week's change in attitude by the team is equated with this 'new' approach.

We lost a test we should have won on a 'bouncey' WACA wicket. We were talked out of it by a call for an idiotic change from an aggressive attitude. An attitude which the Indian team happily and gracelessly applied.

God help us all if this is our future. But I suppose all those who hate Australian success and tall poppies are now content and will want this new attitude to remain so for many years to come.

Oh and this assertion the Howard foreign policy wasn't based on co-operative effort is just utter rubbish. And look at Rudd's results so far. We signed Koyoto, had a seat at a table that oversaw absolutely no advance on what Howard had achieved at a co-operative summit in Sydney. Our relations with Japan are strained because of our co-operative menacing of Japanese ships on the high seas and of our outright support for the act of piracy.

But what would I know I only look at results on the scoreboard not airy fairy woolly wishful thinking or propaganda.

Cricket is afterall sport not politics. Apart from some poor umpiring decisions (and they come around as evidenced in Perth test) the cricket in Sydney and perth has been riveting and some of the best cricket ever.

Attempting to allign attitudes in sport with politics will never work and is fraught with dangers.

Clearly the Indian team was struggling under the Rules and Umpiring and so successfully aplied some politics to the Sport. Under pressure and adided by some bleeding heart commentators Australia blinked and was bashed.

Did we have any effergies burned and demonstrations in the streets or clearly racist taunts at matches to support the Australian team as did occur in India.

Any sport at International level is tough and played hard and should be. India is a good team, very much on a par with Australia and yet all seem to forget the behaviour of the public and unwillingness of the Indian Cricket board to act in India.

Play it hard, Australia , and dismiss the bleeding hearts next time round.