Why is it that this team, or squad of players, has enjoyed so much prosperity, culminating in numerous record breaking feats and distinguished accolades, such as being the number one-ranked team in both forms of the game and the 2002 Laureus World Team of the Year?
Before, and since winning consecutive World Cups in England and South Africa, the team has broken records for consecutive victories, by winning sixteen straight Test matches and twenty one successive one-day internationals.
These achievements in themselves are phenomenal, as it is difficult enough to win two or three consecutive games of cricket let alone sixteen or twenty one as has been the case in recent history.
The foundations of the Australian cricket team's success are not really secrets, but rather a basic set of values, principles and assets that we are lucky enough to possess.
These ingredients include sheer talent, strong leadership, a proven game plan and a very powerful culture that encourages elite performance and excellence from everybody who becomes involved in the team.
Justin Langer
Matthew Hayden
Ricky Ponting
Mark Waugh
Steve Waugh
Damien Martyn
Adam Gilchrist
Shane Warne
Brett Lee
Jason Gillespie
Glenn McGrath
Players like Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Steve Waugh, Adam Gilchrist and Ricky Ponting, just to name a few, are not only fantastic players of this era but also great players who will be compared with the best of all time.
The greatness of these players is not only highlighted in their outstanding statistics but also in the way they play the game and by the impact they have on the next generation of cricketers coming through the ranks.
In Australia there are thousands and thousands of kids trying to bowl leg spin like Shane Warne, lightning fast like Brett Lee or hitting sixes like Ricky Ponting and Adam Gilchrist.
This style is a reflection of the strong leadership of Steve Waugh, Ricky Ponting, John Buchanan and many others within the squad.
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