England reach the cricket World Cup Final.

England reach the cricket World Cup Final.

If only John Arlott or the jolly, cake eating radio, Test Match Special commentator Brian Johnson could see the English cricket team now. For years we must have thought that reaching a World Cup Final for the England cricket team was somehow wishful thinking. Admittedly, England did reach a World Cup Final 25 years ago but were sadly crushed by Pakistan. This time it was entirely different and how they must be gloating in the glory of the moment.

 Now, how shall we put, England have done it again and this time England have only gone and beaten our famous antagonists Australia. Yes the English have stopped the Aussie juggernaut as if it were something that came naturally to England. The Aussies have been beaten and crushed into the dust, knocked out of a semi final when they may have almost presumptuously taken for granted that a World Cup Final was their rightful place, having won the World Cup on so many occasions.

But now the Eion Morgan, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes, Jofra Archer and company have quite literally turned the tables on an Australian side who, bursting with lavish one day grandstanders, were convinced that all they had to do was just turn up at Edgbaston, plant their feet firmly on the ground and steamroller remorselessly all over the yellow baggy caps of Australia. Maybe though this could be England's year to finally stop the rot and treat semi finals with contempt.

At the beginning of August England will once again square up for that frequent dust up with Australia in yet another Ashes battle royale. You can be sure that the boisterous drinkers of Earls Court will be swigging back excessive bottles of Fosters lager because Australia certainly know how to make a noise when the Ashes come calling. It would be foolish to underestimate England's Antipodean snarling rivals but how we look forward to that unique first ball of the First Test.

And yet some of us fondly cast our minds back to that celebrated and unforgettable 1981 when the studious professor who was Mike Brearley, the handsome and outrageously uninhibited Ian Botham and the ridiculously tireless Bob Willis slanted in at Headingley and looked as though he'd just completed a hundred London Marathons. It was the year the bristlingly buccaneering Botham slogged, hooked and drove a whole procession of fours, sixes, cuts and pulls to all parts of every English Test ground in the country. It was a year we'll never forget. Maybe this time it'll happen all over again, this time against the Aussies neighbours New Zealand. Now there's an irony.