Dubai: England capped a year of cricketing excellence yesterday as they retained the Ashes and ended 24 years of hurt Down Under.
After banishing their limited-over tournament jinx in May by winning the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean, Andrew Strauss' men arguably went one better after sealing an unbeatable 2-1 lead at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
The crushing innings and 157-run win was the holders' biggest victory over Australia since 1956 and their first triumph Down Under since Mike Gatting's team claimed the series 2-1 in 1986-87.
For England fans it was a moment to cherish and went some way to banishing the bitter memories of three years ago when England were humiliated 5-0. I was in Australia for that disaster and the difference between the campaigns couldn't be more marked.
Whereas then coach Duncan Fletcher relied on the old guard from the victorious 2005 campaign in the hope that they could replicate that magical summer Down Under, Andrew Flower has honed his squad to perfection, mixing old campaigners and emerging talent into a cohesive and deadly unit.
This time there was no Andrew Flintoff weighed down by the expectation of captaincy; no Ashley Giles realising his best days were behind him.
Only Paul Collingwood has failed to fire and the selectors will need to take a decision on whether to retain his services come the Sydney Test.
Much credit for this victory, however, must lie with Australian bowling coach David Saker.
There were big questions over whether England bowlers could take 20 wickets on Australian wickets. Not anymore.
James Anderson has shown he is now a world-class bowler who can vary his game when the ball is not swinging. Graeme Swann, meanwhile, has enhanced his reputation as one the world's greatest spin bowlers and showed great character to overcome the early jitters he showed in Brisbane.
However, as a proud Yorkshireman I take great delight in the performance of Tim Bresnan at the MCG.
Drafted in as a replacement seamer for Steven Finn, he enjoyed what he described as the greatest day of his career on Tuesday finishing with figures of 3-26.
Prospects of series win
It was fitting then that it was Bresnan who finished proceedings when Ben Hilfenhaus was caught behind of the Yorkshire pacer's delivery.
Captain Andrew Strauss was obviously delighted to become the first captain since Gatting to retain the Urn in Australia, but canny enough to cast an eye at the last game in Sydney and the potential for a fantastic series win.
"Winning the Ashes in Australia has always been a bit of a holy grail for English sides," he said.
"We haven't won the Ashes yet but we obviously retain the urn which has been one of our primary goals and the guys deserve everything they get because the players stood up and performed when it mattered."
For Australia the inquest has already begun and a question mark hangs heavy over captain Ricky Ponting, who has failed to win the Ashes three times. I've never been convinced of the Tasmanian's qualities as a leader believing he was comprehensively out-captained by Michael Vaughan in the 2005 Ashes despite boasting a supremely talented team.
Australia's 2010 vintage is nowhere near that of their illustrious predecessors and Ponting's failure with the bat has done little to enhance his credentials for staying in the job.
Funny as it sounds, Australia's crushing victory over the tourists in Perth may have done more harm than good with expectation suddenly going through the roof despite a poor performance in Adelaide.
The feeling among critics was England were always the better outfit with many picking them to create history Down Under. That mission has now been accomplished and England cricket fans can bask in another moment of glory to follow the T20 team's World Cup heroics in Barbados.
Of course, there is still work to be done with a victory in Sydney next week the most pressing, but Strauss is already looking towards the future and the possibility of topping the world rankings.
India might have something to say about that, but for the time being the old enemy has been vanquished and the Urn is safe at home.
Cameron praises feat
British Prime Minister David Cameron congratulated the England cricket team for their "brilliant performance" after they crushed Australia in the fourth Test on Wednesday to retain the Ashes.
"Congratulations to the England team and Captain Andrew Strauss on a brilliant performance Down Under," said Cameron in a statement from his office. "Retaining The Ashes for the first time in almost a quarter of a century marks a very special end to the year for sports fans and a great late Christmas present for the country.
"I look forward to welcoming them to Downing Street when they return."
