The mauling that Australia are taking at the hands of England in the Ashes at the moment is merely a reflection of a fallow period in the country’s sporting climate.

No other nation comes near the Aussies when it comes to boasting about their sporting prowess but, as soon as things turn sour, that brash Aussie brogue suddenly becomes deafeningly silent.

If England thought they were bad in the football World Cup, Australia didn’t even qualify from their group, although most England fans probably wish we hadn’t either.

However, while Fabio Capello’s men are sixth in the rankings, Australia are languishing in 26th place, below such footballing superpowers as Norway, Slovenia and Montenegro.

In golf, Lee Westwood is flying the English flag as world number one, with three other Englishmen in the top ten to boot.

The Aussies are currently second in both the snooker, with Neil Robertson, and rugby union rankings too. Tut-tut.

Their only solace is to be found in one-day cricket, where they are still top of the tree, but in Test cricket, they are fourth to England’s third in the rankings.

It might be sunny 366 days a year Down Under but in the sports that matter, football, cricket and tiddlywinks, England put Australia in the shade.

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