5-0

5-0.

That simple scoreline represents the most dominating performance in a series you can have. It's only happened 10 times, including the Ashes series we have just witnessed. That's less than the amount of triple centuries hit in Test cricket or perfect games thrown in Major League Baseball.Whitewashes, the term associated with a 5-0 series drubbing, only come around on average once every 20 years or so, only happening more often when a team is great or a team is terrible.

For example, the whitewashes accomplished by the 1920-21 Australians, the 1984 West Indians, the 1985-86 West Indians, and the 2006-07 Australians, all happened mainly because the team that won was good. Really good. For example, the West Indies teams contained in that list are considered to be some of the best ever, along with that 2006-07 Australian team. Interestingly in all of these whitewashes, England were on the receiving end. I honestly don't know what to make of that, but England just happens to be the nation that schedules the most 5-Test series. (Also it must have been embarrassing for England to lose by a combined score of 10-0 to the West Indies over a span of two years, with one of the series being in England, the other in the West Indies)

The other whitewashes, accomplished by the 1931-32 Australians over South Africa, the 1959 English over India, the 1961-62 West Indies over India, the 1998-99 South Africans over the West Indies, and the 2000-01 Australians over the West Indies, all occurred not because the winning team was good, it was rather because the team on the losing end was absolutely terrible. But if you count closely, there are only 9 whitewashes in that list. The 10th, the 2013-14 Australians over England, is still up for debate.

Australia definitely played the better cricket over the 5 Tests, and I am not saying at all that their 5-0 victory was not deserved. Also, basically the same English team played some wonderful cricket in their 3-0 victory over the Australians in the summer. However, I think age caught up to England on this tour. Having one senior player retire and another leave during the middle of the tour just adds to the misery. And I don't think this Australian team has reached the heights of that great team of the 90s and 2000s. Can they?

Well, they've got a series at South Africa coming up next month. We will see then.