The Surfer

This England team is not bereft of talent, but there is a fug of complacency that needs to be stamped out. All the talk at the end of the series from the captain and players was that this is a young England team, the vast majority of whom will still be in place the next time the Ashes are up for grabs. If I was in an England team that had just been wiped out 5-0, I don't think I'd be taking my place for granted.

As far as visitors go, England's Test cricketers have proved the perfect guests. Apart from a few moments in Brisbane and Adelaide, the side has proved no trouble at all to its host. And at many times it was so unobtrusive it was easy to forget it was in town at all.

It was the last time Justin led it and he passed on the honour to Mike Hussey, the perfect man for the job. Justin is passionate and he spoke about the history of the song and how the likes of David Boon and Ian Healy had led it before him. It's an important tradition and helps make Australian cricket what it is. Gilly will still do the song after the one-dayers. It would be nice to hear Huss lead the celebrations next summer, but I am more than happy with my decision to call it quits.

Australians are short on cultural history, which may partly explain the deification of the Invincibles led by Bradman on his final tour of England

I was fielding at long leg at Oakham school. In front, our bald-headed opening bowler wheeled away; behind, a gardener weeded vegetables. We listened to events almost as dire as the dark days of 1940. A couple of weeks later, with my appetite already whetted by two schoolboy appearances at Lord’s, I caught the bus outside the family farm at Mayfield in East Sussex, changed at Heathfield for the slow old Southdown to Hastings, and joined the horde heading to watch these giants play against the South of England.

Wearing jeans and a T-shirt, the reclusive West Australian walked into the rooms to a roaring reception and was immediately embraced by Australia's opener Matthew Hayden. Martyn later sat in front of Hayden's locker, and had his first face-to-face conversation with Ricky Ponting, the Australian captain and best man at Martyn's wedding, since his shock retirement after the Adelaide Test. "It was emotional," said one team source. "As emotional as anything you saw out on the field yesterday."

"They are the two dynasties – there is no one else in history who has lasted as long as they have and beaten everybody they have been matched against," said Engel after witnessing Australia's 5-0 triumph yesterday.

Ponting devoted himself to the task. His first step was to admit that England had deserved to win and that his side had been off its game. Australia worked hard in preparation. Ponting took his side to a boot camp, urged senior men to keep playing, developed plans with John Buchanan, his underestimated coach. No stone was left unturned.

"I did a couple of courses and saw a couple of things I thought I'd apply for – I was going to be a salesmen," he said."I got a couple of interviews, it was nothing major but obviously when something hits you pretty hard like that you have to start thinking ahead. I was out of my comfort zone turning up in front of two or three people and being asked questions you can't answer because you haven't been in that workforce or that situation ...I decided at the age of 30 I wasn't washed up – as some people obviously thought I was."