Just how were Australia so good?

[coffee_rules]

Apprently, the last Aus team that won the Ashes in England was in 2001 (Waugh). Ponting with this ATG team has not won the Ashes in England. 

[Hydra]

We (Australia) being a small nation population wise and a young nation as well, have learnt to be competitive in sports, we have a sporting culture and a great sporting infrastructure, it helps that in Australia there is hardly any corruption and from the time we are kids we are given a choice of sports to participate in.

 

The best facilities are available to us as kids, and most Aussies love to be outdoors, it also helps we have a good lifestyle, good public healthcare etc. When coaches etc notice a kid is good at a particular sport or sports they are encouraged to try it and then given elite coaching and facilities. If you notice at the Olympics, or any other sports we are always competitive we are always participating.

 

Not sure what it's like in India, but here in Australia we are encouraged to take up any sport we want no matter how obscure it is, even Kabbidi now is starting up slowly. We are breed to be competitive and to give it a go no matter what.

 

 

[diga]

Forget Australia of 2000s ... we are yet to match India of 2000s.  The steel is still missing

 

You need an unselfish leadership at the top for the team to do well.. There may be short term setbacks but long term we will reap the benefits.  Australia after the retirement of Chappell/Lillee/Marsh went on a decline for 3 years.. After 1987 worldcup,they never looked back  

[Lala]

No smith, no Warner. India has a chance. 

[Nikhil_cric]

The early 2000's were a great time for Aussie sport I guess - Cathy Freeman, Thorpe, lleyton Hewitt, viduka and Cahill, damn strong hockey team which in 02 beat India and Pakistan, Mark Webber etc . Sporting culture peaked about then I suppose. Don't think they will ever reach those heights again. 

 

With respect to cricket, again they had phenomenal talent coming through and I think general public interest in cricket was high too. But im pretty sure that only Warne and Gilly were freaks who came through despite the system , but the rest were definitely a product of the robust domestic cricket which was extremely competitive( with only 6 teams - Ranji can never compete with that unless drastic reforms are introduced ) . Australian pitches also played a part I guess. Wickets were fast and bouncy which rewarded batters who had good technique, spinners who gave it the hardest rip and fast bowlers who hit the deck hard etc.  And sheer knowledge was vastly superior to an other country's. In terms of fast bowling, they were correcting Lee's action way back in 2001 and getting him to run straighter and get an efficient action to avoid injury etc. We are atleast 20 years behind the curve as only in this under 19 world cup did I see bowlers coached properly and with efficient actions,run up etc. 

 

We can do that too actually. In 2004, SA reformed their domestic. and reduced it from 11 to 6 teams and soon we started seeing very strong Saffer sides from 07 onwards despite kolpak deals and quotas etc .