Made sure I was up early to watch Australia hammering England by 10 wickets to win the fifth Test, completing a whitewash after 86 years.

England of course, are used to this, being blanked by the all-conquering West Indies team of the ’80’s.

It was also time for the Aussies to bid farewell to three stalwarts, Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Justin Langer, who left the game on a high. Incidentally, Damien Martyn had retired midway through the series, though he left as a largely unsung hero.

This seemed like a flashback to the 83-84 series against Pakistan, when Greg Chappell, Dennis Lillee & Rodney Marsh all decided to retire together, leaving a gaping hole in Australian cricket, which took several years to fill. However, this time around, their bench strength is enviable, and there are several players to fill the void.

Watching the entire series, one thought struck me everytime Australia were in a rut.. They ALWAYS seemed to have someone ready to put their hand up and be counted, whether it was Michael Clarke, Stuart Clark, Hussey, Gilchrist, Symonds et al.. In fact, to draw comparisions in the India-South Africa series, the Safs seemed able to do this everytime they were in trouble, even with 6-7 wkts down.

Australia are on a roll now, and the aggressive brand of cricket they play ensures that the opposing team is quickly on the back foot right from Day One. It will be interesting to see their transition into the post Warne/McGrath/Langer era.