Down time

Imagine how the England cricketers feel this morning. They are the winners of the Ashes, which they have known since childhood was the greatest pinnacle an England cricketer can achieve, gone home told the kids, their mates and, eventually, the missus just what heroes they are.

Four days later they are back on the treadmill - a warm-up one-day match in Ireland, T20 games and then seven one-day matches - and all against Australia who are all a-buzz at the thought of a bit of revenge.

One-day games have never been all that popular with the England professionals; "who remembers the results by the next morning" they used to chant in unison. Now, 40 years on, fewer people care. These odis are either a money spinner or worthless. But the money is useful. Just remember how cross Kerry Packer was when Rod Marsh placed such matches at the bottom of his hit list.

It is not just the seven one-day games by mid-September, from Southampton to Durham. Afterwards there is the Champions Trophy, the tour of South Africa, the lucrative but mind-blowingly tiring T20 stuff (all played in heat touching heights that make Englishmen shiver) and a new level of expectation simply because they are the Ashes holders.

Last time England won back the Ashes in 2005, they celebrated so hard that the good was soon undone. Now all the good is being undermined by hard work.

My bet is that the players feel let down. They wanted to listen to the standing ovations, absorb their hero status slowly.

I bet they resent these seven hellish 50-overs of torture and the idea of putting their bodies, the minds and their spirit on the line four more times is just too difficult to contemplate.

So don't be surprised if the scoreline on SEptember 20 reads Australia 7 England 0 - give or take the odd rain break - or if Ricky Ponting decides that his men are going so well he can take a longer holiday.

Who would blame him? Certainly not the England boys who would love to dangle their own toes in the hotel swimming pool for a day or two.