Of entrenchment and disillusion

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It doesn’t really matter which format gave rise to it, no-one wants to see a headline reading ‘Australia’s mastery entrenched’, which is what we just saw over at Cricinfo.

Nothing good is ever entrenched. Tuesday night pub night isn’t entrenched, despite having persisted for over a decade. Nor is our taste for salt and pepper chicken wings entrenched. If something’s entrenched, it implies that the wider world wants to dig it out and end the horror.

Racist views are entrenched. Problems are entrenched. Soldiers engaged in a long, arduous and inhumane war might be entrenched. When something is entrenched, it is always, always a bad thing.

This is a time for heros. Michael Lumb, Luke Wright, Jade Dernbach and Danny Briggs – lead us from this squalid realm. Lead us to a 2-1 series defeat which, while still undeniably a loss, at least hints that Australia’s mastery is not entrenched.

DON'T BE LIKE GATT!

Mike Gatting wasn't receiving the King Cricket email when he dropped that ludicrously easy chance against India in 1993.

Coincidence?

Why risk it when it's so easy to sign up?

11 comments

  1. Nice to see the Ravi Bopara lost cause innings and “The Dernbach” though. I think that means we have now officially ticked everything off on this tour, Mission Abomination is complete.

  2. So, err, Australia’s mastery is “entrenched” and we’re hoping for Lumb, Wright, Dernbach and Briggs “to dig it out and end the horror.”

    On the plus side, that Australia are entrenched at least hints that they are aware of how the rest of us view their position. They are apparently, huddled nervously below the surface worrying that the end is nigh.

  3. Indeed – I have a new portmanteau word which serves well to describe this tour – omnidebacle. Please use liberally.

    But the post test match legs of the omnidebacle are actually part of England’s cunning plan to lull the Aussies into a false sense of security ahead of 2015.

    Remember where you read it first – England will regain the Ashes in 2015.

    1. “England’s cunning plan to lull the Aussies into a false sense of security ahead of 2015”

      this is one skill-set they are executing flawlessly. genius.

  4. Under the headline ‘Australia’s mastery entrenched’ is another headline – ‘England’s bowling no good’.

    One of these things is more true than the other.

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