‘Super’ series anything but

Australia completed a clean sweet of the World XI in Sydney yesterday, hitting back at critics that the team is too old and has gone stale. However, despite the star studded names in the opposition, Nick Mockford reveals why such a format isn't anything to get carried away about.

Yesterday morning while browsing the papers, I came across the headline, ‘Can Lara save the world?’ Perhaps a more appropriate heading would have been, ‘Does Lara want to save the world?’

A brisk 36 runs individually and another sub 200 team score later, the answer to both questions seems to be a resounding no.

Australia completed a clean sweep of the World XI, posting a dominant 210 run victory in the one-off Test match, after taking out the one day series 3-0. The so-called ‘Super Test’ was scheduled for six days of exciting cricket. Instead it went for barely four.

In theory, it looks like a win-win. Australia and it’s fans get a false sense of re-establishment after dramatically losing their two-decade grip on the Ashes, while the World XI members all pocket a cool six figure sum.

In reality, the whole situation is a complete farce.

What exactly was the World XI playing for? Pride? They’re already some of the finest cricketers in the world with superb individual records to back it up. Failure in an All-Star type of match isn’t going to change that.

Pride in international cricket comes from representing one’s country. What reasons did Lara have to be on top of his own game for Graeme Smith and Shaun Pollock? Professional courtesy? I can almost guarantee you’ll see a much better prepared Lara this summer when he sports the West Indian logo on his shirt, as opposed to Johnnie Walker.

Compare that to the spirit in the Australian camp, who all seemed genuinely delighted with Shane Watson’s break-out one day performances, and elated with each and every one of Stuart MacGill’s nine scalps in the Test.

Full credit to Stephen Harmison and Andrew Flintoff for working hard with the ball, but it wouldn’t have been a surprise if instead they were still hungover from Ashes celebrations and treated the whole series like a hit in the park.

With the bat however, Flintoff seemed more interested in trying to out-hit everyone else. Jacques Kallis used each innings as a means of practice, while Lara made 46 runs in five knocks, of which 36 came in one innings.

How many do you think will walk away disappointed? They will all walk away richer, and with reputations built on years of individual brilliance still intact.

Of course, there will still be those with the ridiculous idea that this somehow makes up for the Ashes. Australia beat the best the rest of the world has to offer, right? Surely that puts them back on top of the world again? Not likely.

Viewers from both Australia and England were treated to a memorable series. Four out of the five tests went down to the wire and every player on both sides fought hard for the cap they were wearing. The subsequent jubilation from the home side upon victory and the devastation in the Australian camp brought out by losing the series summed up just how much it meant to the players.

Compare that to the series just gone. A few beers and backslaps in the Australian camp, and probably a few beers and comparing of paycheques in the World XI camp.

Truth be told, Australia won’t get a chance at redemption until 2006, and no amount of representative games will hide that fact. International cricket is just that, international, and as a result these sorts of games will always remain a novelty and not much more.

Brian Lara can’t save the world because he doesn’t want to, but he’ll surely give everything he can to try and save his home country in the coming months.

That’s where the difference lies in this game.

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