Aus hails ‘unlikely heroes’ for complete Ashes win

SYDNEY. Australia hailed the most complete Ashes triumph in nearly 137 years of cricketing rivalry with England on Monday, the media paying tribute to the “unlikely heroes” who claimed a 5-0 series sweep.“Legends”, read the banner headline on the front page of the popular Daily Telegraph, “How sweet it is” splashed the Sydney Morning Herald, while The Australian went with “’Unchangeables’ begin new era with whitewash”.Despite being only the third such Ashes sweep, there is a recognition inside and outside the team camp that the current Australia line-up cannot yet be compared with the last team to do it, Ricky Ponting’s star-studded 2006-7 outfit.While that team featured the likes of Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Adam Gilchrist, Michael Clarke’s party is largely made up of rejuvenated veterans like Mitchell Johnson and Brad Haddin and honest triers like Peter Siddle and Chris Rogers.“This five-test whitewash was special because nothing remotely similar was expected of this lot,” Peter Lalor wrote on the front page of the Australian.“In 2006-07 a team of champions did as champions do, while in 2013-14 a group of good cricketers touched greatness.”It was a triumph born in pace bowling with Johnson, Ryan Harris and Siddle helping Australia, unchanged for all five tests, achieve what the 1920-21 and the 2006-7 teams could not manage - take all 100 England wickets for the first time.Hard roadThe triumph moved Australia up to third from fifth in the test rankings and captain Clarke said he thought they had the talent to fulfill his long-stated ambition of returning to the summit, even it would be a hard road.That road starts at the end of the month when they head to South Africa to take on the current world number one team in a three test series. “There is no easy cricket,” Clarke said after the 281-run victory at the Sydney Cricket Ground. “It’s hard in your backyard and it seems to be harder away from home so we have a lot of work to do.

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Aus hails ‘unlikely heroes’ for complete Ashes win