Australian captain Ricky Ponting later acknowledged that it was a mistake not to have included a specialist spinner in the fifth test match. However, at the time, retaining a winning combination from the previous match seemed to be a reasonable course of action.
Moreover, as expected and with some consideration, confidence in the national selectors was endorsed by Cricket Australia's administration.
In addition, numerous cricketing identities have identified various 'cricketing' reasons for the Ashes loss; ranging from the tactics of the captain to the repercussions of the rebuilding process after the retirement of so many leading cricketers. Some have suggested it was an issue of skills on the day, and even that of losing four tosses.
Others have looked further afield suggesting that top line cricketers have their eyes fixed on different goals, focussing on the new money associated with international twenty-twenty cricket, where cricketers need not even play for their country to earn a very handsome living.
For those cricketers who can take this option, not only can they earn more, but they are home more. No longer would they need to spend ten months away from their families, as do members of the current national team.
The very nature of relationships and what might be described as 'normal' lifestyles are challenged with these types of schedules.
Cricket Australia has acknowledged that there is a post-Ashes review process involved where a plethora of issues will be discussed.
But the main crisis to be discussed is not so much a normal review, but the reasons why Australia lost the Ashes, the most coveted cricketing trophy, which affects the whole nation's psyche.
The television ratings for Sunday night 23 August are quite a revelation. The Fifth Ashes Test 1.9 million viewers. The Christian show 'Songs of Praise' 2.4 million viewers.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25982708-5013404,00.html
Australian cricket chaplain, Baptist minister Mark Tronson, who served as the Australian cricket team chaplain for 17 years and from 2001 has ministered to Life After Cricket, suggests that as laudable as all those reasons are, there may be another 'more general issue' for considered analysis for this review by the administration.
"The current world financial crisis has simply highlighted one particular perennial area of contention. That is a focus on effective management (macro and/or micro)," M V Tronson said.
The general public can perceive that effective management can make or break companies, business houses, government authorities, universities, schools, churches, missions ….... and sports (macro, the main organisation or the micro, the management within a team itself – quite separate to captaincy, coaching and/or selection issues).
Business consultants confirm this; that many problems associated in the successful functioning of an enterprise, centre around 'ineffective management' on-the-ground which creates tensions (outward and/or under-the-surface) and consequently shows up in performance analysis.
M V Tronson can only agree.
He makes this general observation: "In all my twenty seven years in sports ministry, being close to many sporting and business bodies as I negotiated 150 chaplaincy appointments in professional sports in Australia (1982-2000) and overseas (Olympic Village Host City Religious Services 2000 - ….); I have noted that when things go awry, there has more-than-likely been management issues."