It takes some time to get used to the idea of winning a ODI series in Australia, but it’s generally a good feeling. Today in Sydney, it was the pleasure of watching Plunkett and Mahmood’s improvements as bowlers as the weather provided some seaming conditions. Suddenly, England has an attack with these two backed up by Flintoff, and with Panesar spinning and Dalrymple and Collingwood providing the pace off the ball stuff. The latter of course somehow managed to out-shine even his own recent efforts, top-scoring with 70, a couple of wickets, and somehow contriving to provide a clone of himself at backward point when Dalrymple took a stunning left-handed catch.

But of course the real pleasure of today has been gently pissing on the parade, and in particular on the script of the Commonwealth Bank series, designed to celebrate yet another Australian triumph. The king-size cheques and the trophy which resembles something used by an illegal car-clamper in Deptford, and Ponting promising to win it for the Commonwealth Bank next year, showed how a genuine contest like the Ashes doesn’t need hype like this.

Talking of hype the last thing England need at the moment is the English media talking up the team’s chances. It’s good to win against Australia three times on the trot but the team is some way from achieving the consistent levels of performance needed for success in the World Cup. For at start they need to do some work on the problem of run-outs.