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Home > Cardinal's Comment > Article
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It’s serious: savour every victory
Cardinal’s comment
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| By Cardinal George Pell
10 December, 2006 |
Life rarely comes any better. More than 600 runs in our first Test innings after we had lost the Ashes in the last series.
All’s well with the world and, thankfully, the Adelaide Test hasn’t upset this.
Two good friends of mine, both cricket fans, were together at a meeting as the Australian batsmen last Friday afternoon in Brisbane took the total over 500 runs.
Both were of one mind. We should aim for five straight Test victories, each achieved in three days.
They knew that the purists and the administrators would say that this would be bad for cricket (and it would). But for them it was a price that should be paid, if it could be paid.
Test cricket against England is something special, quite different from tests against other countries, even teams like the West Indies during their long period of world dominance.
It was part of my childhood in cold Ballarat winter’s nights buried in blankets listening on the radio to the cricket from England.
No wonder the tests are sell-outs, even if the Barmy Army managed to get hold of too many tickets.
Outsiders and even recent immigrants often misunderstand the relationship between England and Australia, or at least the relationship between many Englishmen and most “old” Australians, because there are deep wells of affection underneath the warlike sports talk. But victory at cricket over the Poms is an important national ambition.
As a child in the country, we learnt the conventional wisdom that you should never give a mug a break, because that might be all he needs to turn the tables!
Even more explicit was the stern moral prohibition that “you should never kick a man when he is down”.
With the English cricket team I would be tempted to add the rider, metaphorically speaking of course, “unless he looks like getting up”!
The battle for the Ashes is serious business.
England-Australia Test cricket brings out the best in both sides and the English will improve.
They are underdone, still getting used to the different types of wickets and they have been unlucky with injury and sickness.
We must be wary because the last series started well for us also.
Our team is too old, although they are off to a spectacularly successful start as a “dads’ army”.
Their average age, the highest since the 1930s, is not only a sign that they are a champion combination but that we are short of genuine talent at the next level down.
If a key bowler like McGrath or Warne was sidelined, we could finish up eating humble pie again.
I believe we will win the series comfortably, but we should savour every victory.
No gains are permanent. And I do fear that with the retirement of many of our champions, the next few years might bring us to a lean time.
+ George Cardinal Pell
Archbishop of Sydney
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