Australia Cricket / Frank Gregan / 13 October 2008 / Leave a comment

Having lived in Australia, Frank Gregan knows all about the Aussie approach to sport and the secret to their success isn't as complex as it may seem....

India is perceived as one of the toughest venues for a visiting cricketing nation. Nobody seems to have told that to the Australians who have just got their tour off to their customary good start with a solid draw in the first test. The remainder of the cricketing world are barracking for the Indians, everyone apart from the direct descendents of Ned Kelly (a thief of whom the Australian nation is very proud) wants to see those smarmy Aussies knocked off their perch. As ever, it looks unlikely to happen.

So why are they so good? During my time living in Oz, India was one of the touring teams. I used to go for a run (unlike the jog with a limp that I now perform) whilst India were bowling and say to myself that I would turn around and go home after the Indians took a wicket. My wife used to have to organize search parties to find me; I was gone that long she used to think a dingo had got me! I was so knackered I grew to detest the Waugh brothers, they spent more time in the middle than a hole in a polo mint factory!

When my Australian brothers in arms took time off from asking and answering their own question simultaneously ala "what's your favourite colour, Blue?" they would bait the resident Pommy about cricket. I used to always reply with a stoic "what goes around comes around, you'll be rubbish one day." Eighteen years on and I am still waiting for their fall from grace! Why?

I understand the argument about their academy system and how professional it is and the level of expert coaching available to their most talented youngsters. Fine, England have done the right thing - copied their system! You only have to look at how successful our Olympians were this year to witness the correlation between investment, training and results. The ECB cricketing academy is a step in the right direction but unlike our Olympians our cricketers have been unable to overtake the Aussies, with the exception of that glorious summer of 2005. There has to be a fundamental reason why Crocodile Dundee and Co have been able to maintain their number one status for so long. I have a theory.

The Aussies participate in sport more than we Brits. During my time there they would do fitness training every morning at 6.30am. That is fairly regular within the British Army as well, the difference was that in Australia the fitness training would often take the form of sport, touch rugby at the crack of dawn is never going to be very popular in England but the Aussies love it.

They are also competitive to the point of obsession. They fire an anti tank missile system that has a removable reinforced plastic cover which is about three foot long and five inches wide. During lunch breaks that cover would be used as a cricket bat with a tea urn as a wicket, a large stone as a ball and a full scale cricket match would take place with everyone taking part. They would come to blows over lbw decisions claiming that the stone was 'turning,' four inch gashes in the shins were collected like medals and there was never any shortage of volunteers to field close to the 'bat.'

That is the reason behind their success. The Australian nation is full of nutters! They are however, competitive, focussed nutters with a fantastic work ethic. Add to that their cricketers are highly talented with great technique and fiercely proud to represent their country. They are still the best in the world and the odds of [3.0] available for them to win the test series should be snapped up.