On Top Of The Trifle

The word great is probably the most overused word in the dictionary of sporting commentators and pundits, particulalry those associated with football on both television and radio. Great is used to described moments that often are simply good or very good, but rarely great - in fact so overused is the word that when something truly great does happen the commentator is left, like the amplifier that goes all the way to ten but no higher, looking slightly stupid.

I propose a new method of gradation, based on that old English tea-time favourite the trifle. Run of the mill events or players will be the sponge base, good players are the layer of jelly, very good players are the layer of custard and great players the cream on top - and before you ask there aren't any hundreds and thousands on this metaphor.

I've travelled around the country watching cricket for more than thirty of my forty six years and the players I have seen on those trips who I would class as being on top of the trifle are those who had the ability to change tests or series with moments of genius. It's not a long list, and other cricket fans will have their own personal favourites, but here goes: Gordon Greenidge, Ian Botham, Imran Khan, Sir Viv, Courtney, Curtly, Shane Warne, Steve Waugh, Waqar Younis, Adam Gilchrist, Glenn McGrath.

Those players have had the ability to dominate games rather than let games dominate them, they had the spark of genius, that piece of brilliance, the vision thing - call it whatever you want, they weren't prisoners of the game they were the jailkeepers.

The thing about genius is that often it is not recognised during its moment and it is only with hindsight that we realise we have been in the presence of something truly remarkable. These past six weeks I have watched the Ashes series enthralled - not only have I been dismayed at the lack of guile among the English team but I have been overwhelmed by the desire of the Australian team to win. We have a real problem with winners in this country, witness the pathetic over the top reaction to winning the Ashes in 2005, bus rides, Trafalgar Square and MBE's for winning a series that could so easily have been lost at Egbaston and Trent Bridge - yes it was good to win after twenty years and yes if you don't celebrate winning you can't appreciate losing but please, some sense of proportion.

The Australian's have shown over the past six weeks that the old adage about 'class being permanent but form being temporary' is writ large across the world of test cricket. Most people in the know are realising now that the Ashes were lost in two places: Trafalgar Square in September 2005 and Brisbane in 2006 - the Australians couldn't get their heads round the over-reaction in London and at that moment Ricky Ponting decided to put his boot across the throat of English cricket in such commanding style. When Steve Harmison bowled that ball, you knew something seriously wrong was on the horizon.

From an English viewpoint it has not been a great series, from a cricketting viewpoint there are many memories to take from the series: Shane Warne reaching 700 test wickets, Adam Gilchrist's assault on the Englsih bowlers at Perth, Kevin Pietersen's form, Stuart Clark, Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee taking more than sixty wickets between them and Monty's sheer determination to learn and succeed when several of his team-mates body language suggested they would rather not be there at all. Paul Collingwood trying to wind-up Shane Warne in the final test was possibly the most embarassing spectacle I have seen for a long time, if Collingwood can achieve a tenth of what Warne has in the rest of his cricket career he will be some player.

England's players received MBE's for their success in 2005, it wasn't their faults, Tony Blair jumping on another special moment to grab some time in the headlights of spurious publicity was the culprit - but why not make some of the Australian team honorary knighthoods? Certainly Hayden, Langer, Ponting, Martyn, Gilchrist, Warne, McGarth and possibly Lee can claim to have sustained sporting excellence for a longer period and at a higher level than our five match wonders ever have.

Anyway, if you're reading this thanks Warney, Glenn and Justin - you really were top of the trifle.