February 04, 2007	Sunday	Muharram 15, 1428

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LONDON, Feb 3: Britain's newspaper sport editors breathed a collective sigh of relief on Saturday after England's cricketers at last gave them something different to write about: a comprehensive win against Australia.

After the tourists recorded their first win at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Friday, the tabloid Daily Mirror asked in a headline: “Q: Why is it called One day cricket..? A: It's the One day we beat Australia!”

Headlines in the early editions were similarly tongue-in-cheek. “Cricket sensation” screamed The Sun. “We've won!” The Daily Mail said simply “At last!”

Others reflected on England's fruitless efforts since arriving Down Under in November last year. “After three months, 9,119 minutes of play and 12,588 balls, England finally beat Australia,” said The Guardian.

All praised the efforts of and noted the irony in the Irishman who largely spared England's blushes, Ed Joyce, who notched up his first international ton with 107 off 142 balls in a match-winning total of 292.

Joyce, who had the luck of the Irish after being dropped twice, gave a nod to the country of his birth, and which he has represented in the ICC Trophy until qualifying for England through residency in 2005.

“I'm certainly the proudest man coming out the Emerald Isle at the moment,” the Middlesex batsman was quoted as saying by the Daily Mirror.

The Daily Telegraph praised Joyce's move to opener, tipping him to follow in the footsteps of fellow left-handers, one-day specialist Nick Knight and Marcus Trescothick, who pulled out of the Ashes tour due to illness.

“Joyce's move to the top of the order is just about the first England plan to come off on this tour,” the newspaper's correspondent said.

There was praise, too, for Liam Plunkett, the 21-year-old Durham paceman who opened his three for 24 spell by snaring Adam Gilchrist first ball during Australia's run chase that fell 93 short.

While some papers said the win would give England a welcome boost, particularly as it could still see them leapfrog New Zealand into this month's best-of-three finals, others warned against getting carried away.

Meanwjile the Australian media welcomed England's first cricketing victory over their hosts but still rated the hapless side as the worst to ever tour Down Under.

“At Last” said Sydney's Daily Telegraph before adding “world's worst team beat the best”.

The Australian pointed out that it took the tourists 94 days to notch a win over Australia, declaring “England breaks out of coma”.

In that three months, England have slumped to the first 5-0 Ashes Test whitewash in 86 years and been humiliated by Australia three times in the one-day arena.

“The accepted wisdom was that England had been so bad for so long that this physically and mentally deficient team would simply roll over, have no chance of playing in the finals and make a dash for the airport by the middle of next week,” The Australian said.

The Sydney Morning Herald's Peter Fitzsimons said the win was too little too late after the huge expectations that preceded England's arrival to defend its stunning Ashes win of 2005.

“Their sin is not merely losing, it is the way they have done it in such a wimpy way that you can barely credit this is much the same side that beat the Australians 18 months ago,” he said.

The Australian's Mike Coward offered a similar damning assessment of the touring England side.

“It is passionless, utterly passionless,” he said. “It has not only lost matches, it has lost respect.

“It is hard to think of any team in any sport that has failed quite as dismally as this and the long-term consequences may be very severe indeed.”—AFP