Brisbane: So here's the latest rubbish being peddled in Australia to explain away the loss of the Ashes, as if a team losing a sporting contest is a deep source of national shame. The Wives & Girlfriends (WAGS) are copping the blame for distracting our cricketers from the all-consuming task of building national pride invested in a game of cricket. It's all their fault apparently!


Dani Willis, partner of present Australia skipper Steve Smith and Lee, wife of Shane Watson watch the Ashes action in Cardiff on July 9. Pic/Getty Images 

Laugh not India – this too will come to pass in the rarefied world of Indian cricket where the national obsession with the sport will soon obscure any sense of perspective. Thanks largely to global competitions like the Indian Premier League and the various T20 competitions that feed India's insatiable appetite for televised cricket, the world's best male cricketers are increasingly well-travelled, plying their trade in every corner of the globe.