Trescothick splits!?

[El Gordo]

I suppose my attitude sounds negative, though it truly doesn't feel that way to me. It feels more like matter-of-fact. I'm not depressed about it in the least. It just seems very obvious. England have underperformed at cricket for so long that I nearly always presume they will fail. It's a bit like all those people who were convinced that this year would be Henman's year at Wimbledon. Most of us just knew it wouldn't happen, and didn't get too worked up about it.

The Ashes victory last year was wildly celebrated largely because it was such a shock. It would be amazing if we retained the Ashes, and I would be delighted to eat as much humble pie as was put in front of me. But I can't see lightning strike twice. You only have to look at our results (and more important, our performances) in the intervening 15 months or whatever. Business as usual. Compare it with England in the (football) World Cup. I also knew we weren't the best team there, but nevertheless I really thought we had a decent chance of winning, and that's why I was so disappointed.

Funny, but I don't really think of a test series as a 2 horse race. If we were playing a one-off match against Australia in the final of the World Cup say, I would feel different, but over 5 matches and 20-odd days, I think the outcome is inevitable. Without doubt we will have our glorious days and some memorable individual performances but not enough of 'em if history is any guide at all.

It usually is.