Because we love to hate the Australian Cricket Team?

Australia have done it time and again, that is why the losers hate them!

The cricketing world rejoiced when England beat Australia in the 2nd match of the Ashes 2009. The Australian media criticized Ponting’s captaincy, forgetting all his achievements as the Australian captain. Talks about dropping Mitchell Johnson, Australia’s strike bowler, were on, by the media. The former cricketers called for Ponting’s head, within no time.

Ricky Ponting has been the butt of criticism for leading a team that has been crowned world champions three times in a row!

Just before the Ashes, Australia was knocked out the T20 WC 2009 in the qualifying stages itself. The world sadistically cheered; it was the only World Cup which still eluded them. Formerly, the cricket pundits grinned when they lost their numero-uno position to South Africa. Every country would support England during the Ashes series. After the Sydney debacle, everyone including the Australian media was on India’s side.

Why is it that the World Champions are detested all over the world?

Rewind back to the time when West Indies were the champs. They were always fondly talked about. Never had there been a time when the Windies were lashed out at for playing against the spirit of the game or acting too big for their boots. The Australians, on the other hand, whether they win or lose, have always been questioned. Their infamous sledging had marked them out from the rest of the teams for going to any extent to win a game. Australia has always been touted as the Champions who never deserve to win.

Or is it the other way around?

Isn’t it fitting to be arrogant since they are World Champions, thrice in a row? Isn’t it fitting to give it all just to win? Isn’t the Aussie behaviour, what we should call the ‘fighting spirit’? Even if they were 9 wickets down and they needed 100 odd runs to win in the Lord’s Test, you would have given the Aussies a chance. After the Sydney test, India cribbed about the umpiring decisions that went against them and threatened to boycott the series. Did we see Ponting and his men doing that after the Lord’s test?

He admitted that such things happen, and that England were the better and deserving team to win. After all, winning is the only thing that matters.

Be it their ill tempered faces and whinning voices that surround the ground during the match. Be it their guts to send one of their main players (Symonds) home for disciplinary action, before a crucial World Cup series. Be it their stars opting to miss out on the moolah making machine, IPL, to take rest and be fit for the next series for their country.

The Australian team is in its re-grouping stage, and their reign slowly fading away. They were the unseeded team against the defending champs Pakistan, recently at the T20 World Cup. But did they play like an unseeded team?

The cricket world is still, admittedly, very, very scared of the Kangaroos.