'How can you not love this team?'

As Ricky Ponting's XI wrapped up the Test series against Pakistan at the MCG today with an unassailable 2-0 lead, the fans took yet another opportunity to hail their Baggy Green-wearing heroes. The occasion seemed appropriate for the conducting of a vox pop. After all, over 121,000 people had attended the match, all of whom were acutely aware that the chances of Australian victory were better than odds on. And after all, this present team has changed the face of the five-day (or four, or three, or two as the case may be) game beyond recognition.

So, in the homage to the "Where to now?" arm of global cricket's administrators, I posed the question: "Isn't Australia's domination just the teeniest bit boring?" When the results of the survey were tallied and checked, the answer seemed to be a resounding "No!"

Matty from Perth was the first to offer his words of wisdom. "I'm old enough to remember Australia being thrashed in the '80s, especially by the West Indies," he said. "As far as I'm concerned, the more wins the better. The circle will turn eventually, a lot of these guys will retire and we'll start losing again, and the other teams will rise, so until then, let's go with it."

His friend Simon, who had made the trip from Adelaide to experience a Boxing Day Test at the "G" was happy to take the argument a step further. "Us beating the pants off everyone is good for the game, and anyone who doesn't agree with me has got a short memory," he suggested, while waving his Australian flag through the chilly currents of the south-westerly breeze. "It's up to the other nations to bring their game into line with ours. And with money and development that will happen soon enough."

But I pushed the controversial line of interrogation: what has happened to the age-old Aussie tradition of barracking for the underdog? Aren't we, according to cultural stereotypes at least, supposed to admire those who "try and fail" far more than those who "brag and succeed"? Aren't we supposed to be egalitarian by nature? Aren't we supposed to live in the land of the "fair bloody go"?

Peter from the inner Melbourne suburb of Carlton was having none of this sociological claptrap. "How can you not love this team? How can you not support this team?" he asked while aiming his multi-megapixel digital camera towards Gilly for a close-up of some behind-the-stumps squatting action. "They'll be talking about this lot in a hundred years' time. And anyway, when did winning become such a bad thing? As far as I'm concerned it's a good thing. A very good thing," he added, while zooming in on the slips cordon.

Peter's wife Helen was keen to add some logic and balance to the discussion. "There are kids following cricket now who think 350 runs in a day is normal," she smiled. "That's what this team has accomplished. That's why it's still thrilling to see them win. That's why it will never be boring. Because of them Test cricket will never be the same again."

OK. So much for the "fair go" theory I thought, as my trudging continued along the length and breadth of the MCG. But surely there must be dissenters, somewhere. Surely there must be someone, anyone, willing to venture away from popular - or vox-popular - opinion? When all the votes were in, I'd found two.

The first was Fiona from Clayton who, from her vantage point in the Great Southern Stand, voiced her psychological concerns. "I'm totally sick of the cockiness of these guys," she frowned. "It's as if they're starting to believe their own publicity. I'd like to see them brought down a peg or two. Winning doesn't necessary breed character. And the 'we're so hot' attitude of these guys is really beginning to annoy me."

The second was Paul from Caulfield, who, from the second tier of the Members' Stand, was approaching the solemnity of the survey with all the consideration of a seasoned philosopher. "I'd like to see two teams battling it out and introducing some real tension to the game. We haven't had that for a while. Plus it'd be nice for a Test to go for the full five days."

Meanwhile, coming quickly back in to bat for the "negative" was his friend Adam from Canterbury, who shook his head at the notion of a level playing field. "We've got to take these victories while we can," he advised. "Some teams dominate. Some teams have winning streaks. Sink the boot in. That's what sport is all about."

At the end of the match, as Ricky Ponting's XI walked towards the presentation area, the fans took yet another opportunity to applaud and cheer their all-conquering heroes. OK, I thought, so much for vox pops.