by Diana Ching
Thursday, September 20, 2001

What won Australia the Ashes? All right, silly question, not to mention old hat too. Few would disagree that they were simply better than England. The gulf between the two sides was wide in every area - in preparation, in practice, in performance. A month on, the post-mortems have been done to death, but the fact remains that England must find a way to compete at a basic level - and they can start by emulating the old enemy's attitude. The Aussies' love of life is no longer seen as New Age psycho-babble. A positive belief system leads to a positive pay-off.

Look at the Aussies' characters. They're always smiling, always having a good time - on and off the pitch. Anyone who espied Shane Warne out and about this summer could see that he was having a ball - and wasn't afraid to show it. His colourful bandannas were a fashion statement if ever you saw one, even if it was one that Warney alone among cricketers could get away with. Look at Colin Miller's rainbow head of hair - from electric blue to emerald green, no-one knows which bottle he's going to pick next. One thing's for sure - he never loses his bottle.

Frivolous? Why? These guys are stamping their individuality on life and, as they're in the public eye, on the game of cricket. Fashion faux pas or simple joie de vivre - it doesn't matter. It's harmless, it makes them feel good, it brings a smile to their faces and ours. It shows a lightness of spirit, a sense of fun, a winning attitude. The fact that they don't take themselves 100% seriously off the field seems to be positively good for their game; their relaxed form of self-expression betrays an inner confidence which spills over onto the field, enabling them to give their natural best and maybe even enhancing their performance.

Compare that with Nasser Hussain's grimaces and Andy Caddick's almost permanent look of torture. Where's the fun in it all for them? Where's the feelgood factor, the self-belief - the winning formula?

Perhaps, as part of their preparation for this winter's tours, England's players should take a leaf out of the Aussies' stylebook -and literally let their hair down. Maybe a little less British reserve and a little more cosmopolitan flamboyance would add an extra zest to their performance. After all, cricket is newly hip. Paul Smith launched the season's must-have when he brought out a cricket sweater in brilliant buttercup yellow - then Michael Jackson went wackier than usual when he appeared on stage at a gig to celebrate his 30 years in showbiz wearing what looked remarkably like a pair of diamante-encrusted shinpads.

The dress sense of England's current cricketers is certainly not wacky. Graham Thorpe's headband is about as daring as it gets. It is hard to imagine Hussain at the crease (a novelty in itself last season) with turquoise streaks, or Mike Atherton with a tattoo. For Englishmen, the current trend is for short haircuts. But if - like Samson - cutting off their hair has also cut off their strength, this is hardly the recipe for success.

So come on lads, let's see you scrub up a bit in the style stakes. We're not suggesting yellow sweaters and sparkly shinpads, nor even nose rings and ponytails - but a bit more colourful individuality might work wonders for your own psyche. It's got to be worth a try. Diana Ching is a freelance writer.

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