The Ashes 2010 Verdict - The end of 24 years of hurt!

Massive congratulations to England's cricketers who duly completed the humiliation of their Aussie counterparts in the early hours of this morning.

The Victorious England Cricket Team (pic via BBC Sport)

The main reasons for victory, in my opinion, are listed below:

1. Preparation - no English cricket team have been better prepared than this one. Following the debacle of the last Ashes tour under the captaincy of Andrew Flintoff where the players went into the first test without a decent game under their belts, Andy Flower and his team started preparing for this tour well ahead of departure. Testing warm up games against strong opposition were arranged meaning that all the intended first XI got time in the middle ahead of the Brisbane opener.
2. Team Spirit - The backbone of any successful team, team spirit has been nurtured over the last couple of years by Flower and the team. This is a collection of talented cricketers, with no superstars who need special attention with everyone buying into the team ethic. You can tell simply from viewing the comic talents of Graeme Swann in his online ECB tour diary that none of the team take themselves too seriously and how this has led to a spirit which shines through when in the heat of battle out in the middle. They all fight for one another and enjoy eachother's success which is a rare quality in modern day sport.
3. Sheer weight of runs - Before the series started, many observers wondered if England's top order had the skill and desire to score the weight of runs required to put Australia under pressure. Well, they certainly put any doubts to bed as early as the 2nd innings in Brisbane where Strauss, Cook and Trott broke various batting records on the way to 517-1. With this example now set, they never looked back for the rest of the series, amassing a shed load of runs which in turn ground the opposition bowlers into the dirt. All of the top seven in the order notched up centuries except Collingwood and they were all scored at a quick rate to allow the bowlers time to knock over the Aussie top order. Cook's haul from the five Tests will go down in history as one of the greatest contributions ever in an Ashes series and deserves special praise as many observers (including me) doubted whether he had the technique or mental toughness to overcome a poor run of form over the last few series. Clearly a huge amount of work has been put in with his mentor Graham Gooch and praise once again should go to the selectors who stood by the Essex opener when previous regimes would have discarded him prior to the tour leaving our shores.
4. Fielding - A much overlooked skill that has often let England down in the past has now become an area of play that they pride themselves on. Clearly a great deal of work has been done by Richard Halsall (specialist fielding coach) to such an extent that the members of this England team feel disappointed if they fail to pull off a spectacular catch or run out a batsmen in every innings. To transform average fielders such as Cook and Trott into ones whose actions can help shape a Test Match through their intervention in the field deserves a lot of praise. Twice, Jonathan Trott earned England the first wicket of an innings with a sharp piece of fielding which helps to undermine the confidence of their opponents. That Australia failed to run out one of England's batsmen over the course of the series speaks volumes for the gulf in class between the two sides. Nothing demoralises a bowler more than when a jaffer of a delivery takes the edge and is then spilled by one of their team mates. Looking back over the Ashes, it was England that took all the great catches. Special mention to Collingwood whose effort to dismiss Ponting at Adelaide was one of the highlights of the whole tour and helped to underline his importance to the side at a time when he was not contributing with the bat.
5. Targeting of Aussie batsmen's weaknesses - Clearly England had devised a plan for each of the Australian batsmen and had the skill to execute these to perfection out in the middle. Two of the mainstays of the middle order (Ponting and Clarke) were dismissed numerous times for low scores culminating in these two highly talented players only amassing one half century each through the whole Ashes campaign. Ponting's lack of foot movement early on and tendency to bring his bat down at a strange angle and Clarke's uncertainty against the short ball led to their downfall and undermined their confidence to such an extent that it no doubt affected the minds of their team mates seeing these two struggle. The only negative to mention on this front was that it took England until the 4th Test to work out a way to get Mike Hussey out and once they did, he was dismissed early on each time thus further undermining their opponents belief that their saviour would drag them to safety once more.
6. Back room staff - Andy Flower has done an amazing job as England coach and one of his greatest legacies will be that he has left no stone unturned in his mission to transform this England side into the world's best. Central to this has been the appointment of a number of specialists that make up his back room staff. Richard Halsall (Fielding), Graham Gooch (batting), Mushtaq Ahmed (spin bowling) and David Saker (bowling) have all been wonderful selections who clearly have inspired the members of this team to great heights that many thought was not possible. Many less visible members such as physios, masseurs, analysts etc have all combined to ensure Team England give themselves the best possible chance of defeating the opposition.
7. Squad Strength - When Stuart Broad was ruled out of the rest of the series following the victory at Adelaide, many observers thought this could allow the Aussies back into the series. That Chris Tremlett slotted into the side seamlessly is yet another big reason why England were so successful and is testament to the strength in depth that Team England now possess. Further credence was given to this view when Tim Bresnan was drafted into the side to replace Steven Finn who had been the leading English wicket taker after the first three Tests. Bresnan came in and played his role to perfection giving Strauss control in the field by bowling tightly yet still picking up wickets at crucial stages. With Ajmal Shazhad waiting in the wings, England have never had such an armoury of capable bowlers at their disposal which will allow them to pick "horses for courses" in their quest to win each game whatever the condition of the wicket they arrive to play on.
8. The Barmy Army - Last but by no means least, I have to mention the incredible loyalty of the England supporters who flock overseas in their thousands to witness the exploits of their team. That some of the English players felt it was like playing at home speaks volumes for the effect they have on the team and the opposition. To witness the vast numbers joining in the celebrations this morning was a joy to watch and must have been an amazing experience to be a part of. 

Do you agree or disagree with anything written above? Please leave any comments below.