Unlike Australia's last whitewash in 2006-07, this team will be around for a while and it won't be long before they are No1
The last Ashes whitewash, in 2006-07, didn't exactly spark an era of Australia dominance – England went on to win the next three series, taking a grip on the urn that has only just been released by Michael Clarke and co. Is there any danger of history repeating? It's hard to compare teams across the years but I think what we can say with confidence is that the two 5-0 whitewash sides are at very different stages of their development. That 2006-07 side were coming to the end of an era, whereas the current team is far closer to the start.
In the two years following the 2006-07 series, Australia lost the services of seven senior players. Damien Martyn retired in the middle of the series, Justin Langer, Shane Warne and I at the end. Adam Gilchrist played his last Test in January 2008, Brett Lee did likewise in December of that year, and Matthew Hayden hung up his gloves in January 2009. Taking seven players of that calibre out of any side is a huge blow and has played the key part in Australia's struggles since. The team who walked out to face England at Cardiff in the 2009 Ashes were very different to the side who had celebrated in Sydney in 2007.
That succession problem is not one facing Australia. At the moment I can't see too many guys retiring in the near future. There may be a few getting on a bit, but Chris Rogers has a bit more time left in him, particularly now he has cemented his place in the team, and Brad Haddin has said he will be around for a good while yet. I think the team who arrive in the UK for the 2015 series will be very similar to the one who have dominated England for the past couple of months.
But even if there were a couple of exits, I don't see that as a massive problem. Australia coped pretty well despite myself, Warne and Langer going at the end of the 2006-07 Ashes. They won their next three series. It wasn't until they lost Gilly and Matty Hayden, leaving Ricky Ponting as more or less the last man standing of the old guard, that they really began to struggle.
The turnover of players doesn't just affect the performance of your side, it also changes the way the opposition approach you. That 06-07 team had a certain aura about them and I think half the teams we faced were beaten before they even walked out on to the park. Then all of a sudden you don't have the big names anymore and other teams come into matches thinking differently. This time around it all feels very different. A lot of the players are just beginning to make a name for themselves and they'll be around for a while yet.
This next Test series in South Africa is one I'm really looking forward to and I'm sure the players are relishing the challenge too. It's 1st v 3rd in the world rankings, and if Australia continue playing the way they did over the five Ashes Tests then I don't think it'll be long before they are displacing South Africa as the No1 team in the world. The potential is there. Later in the year they face Pakistan in the UAE before the four-Test home series against India (so they'll have faced the other top four sides in the ICC rankings in the space of a year), then it's the World Cup and after that they're back in the UK to defend the Ashes.
Without a doubt they will arrive in England in 18 months' time feeling pretty good about themselves. Mitchell Johnson has created a lot of scars, so if he's still around he'll be a threat.
I say "if" because that's the nature of the beast of being a fast bowler – it's very stressful on the body and there's always that injury risk. If this team stick together and maintain this kind of form then they'll begin to build up a bit of that aura, and a bit of that confidence, that we used to have in the days when we went into every series without the merest thought about losing.
You might imagine that there'll be a danger this side will get judged against the 2006-07 whitewash version but by and large people recognise the differences between the sides so I don't think this team will suffer that kind of pressure. There's a whole new buzz around them – they've been copping it for four or five years, the crowds were beginning to fall away, and everything was looking pretty grim.
But this season has been totally reinvigorating. People say there are no legends or great players around any more but to become a great player you've got to start somewhere. And some of these boys have made a start.
*End of series awards*
*Player of the series: Mitchell Johnson*
The way he bowled and the way he unsettled England was crucial, as was the confidence that he injected into the rest of the Australia team. But he wasn't up there by himself – Brad Haddin rescued Australia a number of times and is a close second.
*Emerging star: Steve Smith*
He cemented his spot as the Australia No5 and had a very good series, finally showing what he can do. People are already talking about him as a future Australian captain and he proved his worth both with the bat and in the field. He has always had a lot of potential but hadn't really proved himself or grabbed the opportunity previously. In this series he has made the No5 spot his own with a couple of centuries. For England you'd have to say Ben Stokes without a doubt.
*Best moment: Johnson v the England tail*
There have been quite a few for Australia but the most enjoyable moments for me were watching Mitchell Johnson bowling at the England tail. The aggression and hostility he used took England's tail out of the game – they were non-existent as a batting force.
*Worst moment: Clarke's departure on day one in Brisbane*
The lowest point for Australia was probably on the first day of the series. The captain went for one just after lunch, not long later we were 132 for six, and as an Australian fan you thought: "Here we go again." Though it didn't quite turn out that way …
*Funniest moment: The Aussie pre-play huddle*
Something that Darren Lehmann has brought into the team is that before play every day a member of the squad or support staff has to come up with a joke. On the field they go into the huddle then someone goes into the middle to tell their joke and it was fun trying to work out from the body language whether it was a good one or a bad one. Reported by guardian.co.uk 5 hours ago.
The last Ashes whitewash, in 2006-07, didn't exactly spark an era of Australia dominance – England went on to win the next three series, taking a grip on the urn that has only just been released by Michael Clarke and co. Is there any danger of history repeating? It's hard to compare teams across the years but I think what we can say with confidence is that the two 5-0 whitewash sides are at very different stages of their development. That 2006-07 side were coming to the end of an era, whereas the current team is far closer to the start.
In the two years following the 2006-07 series, Australia lost the services of seven senior players. Damien Martyn retired in the middle of the series, Justin Langer, Shane Warne and I at the end. Adam Gilchrist played his last Test in January 2008, Brett Lee did likewise in December of that year, and Matthew Hayden hung up his gloves in January 2009. Taking seven players of that calibre out of any side is a huge blow and has played the key part in Australia's struggles since. The team who walked out to face England at Cardiff in the 2009 Ashes were very different to the side who had celebrated in Sydney in 2007.
That succession problem is not one facing Australia. At the moment I can't see too many guys retiring in the near future. There may be a few getting on a bit, but Chris Rogers has a bit more time left in him, particularly now he has cemented his place in the team, and Brad Haddin has said he will be around for a good while yet. I think the team who arrive in the UK for the 2015 series will be very similar to the one who have dominated England for the past couple of months.
But even if there were a couple of exits, I don't see that as a massive problem. Australia coped pretty well despite myself, Warne and Langer going at the end of the 2006-07 Ashes. They won their next three series. It wasn't until they lost Gilly and Matty Hayden, leaving Ricky Ponting as more or less the last man standing of the old guard, that they really began to struggle.
The turnover of players doesn't just affect the performance of your side, it also changes the way the opposition approach you. That 06-07 team had a certain aura about them and I think half the teams we faced were beaten before they even walked out on to the park. Then all of a sudden you don't have the big names anymore and other teams come into matches thinking differently. This time around it all feels very different. A lot of the players are just beginning to make a name for themselves and they'll be around for a while yet.
This next Test series in South Africa is one I'm really looking forward to and I'm sure the players are relishing the challenge too. It's 1st v 3rd in the world rankings, and if Australia continue playing the way they did over the five Ashes Tests then I don't think it'll be long before they are displacing South Africa as the No1 team in the world. The potential is there. Later in the year they face Pakistan in the UAE before the four-Test home series against India (so they'll have faced the other top four sides in the ICC rankings in the space of a year), then it's the World Cup and after that they're back in the UK to defend the Ashes.
Without a doubt they will arrive in England in 18 months' time feeling pretty good about themselves. Mitchell Johnson has created a lot of scars, so if he's still around he'll be a threat.
I say "if" because that's the nature of the beast of being a fast bowler – it's very stressful on the body and there's always that injury risk. If this team stick together and maintain this kind of form then they'll begin to build up a bit of that aura, and a bit of that confidence, that we used to have in the days when we went into every series without the merest thought about losing.
You might imagine that there'll be a danger this side will get judged against the 2006-07 whitewash version but by and large people recognise the differences between the sides so I don't think this team will suffer that kind of pressure. There's a whole new buzz around them – they've been copping it for four or five years, the crowds were beginning to fall away, and everything was looking pretty grim.
But this season has been totally reinvigorating. People say there are no legends or great players around any more but to become a great player you've got to start somewhere. And some of these boys have made a start.
*End of series awards*
*Player of the series: Mitchell Johnson*
The way he bowled and the way he unsettled England was crucial, as was the confidence that he injected into the rest of the Australia team. But he wasn't up there by himself – Brad Haddin rescued Australia a number of times and is a close second.
*Emerging star: Steve Smith*
He cemented his spot as the Australia No5 and had a very good series, finally showing what he can do. People are already talking about him as a future Australian captain and he proved his worth both with the bat and in the field. He has always had a lot of potential but hadn't really proved himself or grabbed the opportunity previously. In this series he has made the No5 spot his own with a couple of centuries. For England you'd have to say Ben Stokes without a doubt.
*Best moment: Johnson v the England tail*
There have been quite a few for Australia but the most enjoyable moments for me were watching Mitchell Johnson bowling at the England tail. The aggression and hostility he used took England's tail out of the game – they were non-existent as a batting force.
*Worst moment: Clarke's departure on day one in Brisbane*
The lowest point for Australia was probably on the first day of the series. The captain went for one just after lunch, not long later we were 132 for six, and as an Australian fan you thought: "Here we go again." Though it didn't quite turn out that way …
*Funniest moment: The Aussie pre-play huddle*
Something that Darren Lehmann has brought into the team is that before play every day a member of the squad or support staff has to come up with a joke. On the field they go into the huddle then someone goes into the middle to tell their joke and it was fun trying to work out from the body language whether it was a good one or a bad one. Reported by guardian.co.uk 5 hours ago.