He has a mastery of the off-cutter: many of his victims are castled shouldering arms

Australia's pace attack produced a bowling display reminiscent of the side's era of dominance as they swept India aside to secure a 122-run victory in the first Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Though a brilliant century by Mahela Jayawardena briefly threatened to derail them, Australia clinched a comfortable, 125-run victory over Sri Lanka in Galle on Saturday. Five-wicket hauls for debutant Nathan Lyon and Ryan Harris spun and swung the advantage to the tourists; but the decisive factor was Sri Lanka's weak bowling attack, which at times looked about as threatening as that of Weybridge 2nd XI.

What I Learnt This Week

View From The Sofa: England v Sri Lanka, Sky Sports 1

South Africa's semi-final against Australia had the most dramatic of finales, as Steve Elworthy painfully recalls

The most unmistakable sign of the tourists' total domination has been, the blip in Perth aside, a refusal to rest on their laurels

His cricketing days may be behind him but Glenn McGrath isn't ready to hang up his sledging boots quite yet. With England having retained the Ashes in Melbourne, McGrath – who, it transpires, was able to enjoy such a long career thanks to the genetic benefit of extremely strong bones – refused to be downbeat when he spoke to reporters at the SCG, predicting an Aussie win and a tied series. "It's been a funny old summer with Australia dominating then England dominating, then Australia dominating. It's just such a topsy-turvy pattern there, it's the way it goes," he said.

When England won back the Ashes at The Oval in 2005, the crowd taunted Glenn McGrath about his pre-series prediction of a 5-0 triumph for the tourists. Sportingly, he smiled and held up two fingers on both hands to suggest his prediction had changed a little but Australia would still have the last laugh. It's hard to believe Ricky Ponting will try something similar at Sydney, but for the record here's what he had to say back in August when asked if his side could win the Ashes 5-0: "It's absolutely possible, there's no reason why not. It's all in our hands. It's how well we play and how well we take charge of different situations. We've learnt from the mistakes that we've made."

Heart-broken after failing to regain the Ashes, Ricky Ponting was forced to admit the captaincy issue was out of his hands and his powers with the bat may be on the wane.

Four years ago the wicketkeeper was part of the England side that surrendered the urn at the Waca. The pain remains, he tells Will Hawkes

Remember Troy Cooley? He was the reverse-swing whizz who played such a key role in England's victory in 2005.

My Ashes: By the end the Australians seemed so perplexed they looked as if they had started playing for a hobby, having been bought a bat and a lesson for their birthdays.

The Australian angle: It's not enough to inspire. The Grand Old Duke of York could do that. Ponting's task is to find the balance between attack and defence. It eludes him