In my book on the 2001 Ashes series I appended a few tables at the end, under the heading 'The Australian Supremacy', setting out some of the details of Australia's dominance of this contest since 1989. Now seems like a good time to update it.
In the English summer of 2005, a thrilling and unforgettable series made it look as if the period of Australian dominance might be over. But it turned out not to be so, the recent clean sweep in Australia making 2005 look like an exception, narrowly achieved, rather than the first light of a new dawn. But who can tell? The 2006-7 result, even in taking the general tendency of almost two decades to its extreme limit, may in the end turn out to have been a final flourish - with the retirement of Shane Warne an appropriate marker for, as well as one of the principal causes of, this closure. We shall see.
Whatever happens, the last 18 years of Australian cricketing superiority over England are now a part of history and - what do you know? - I think it should be recorded on normblog. Here are outline details of the results of the 53 Tests (numbered by me in chronological sequence) of those years.
Australia's results against England 1989-2007
01. 1989 Won by 210 runs
Leeds: Australia 601-7 dec and 230-3 dec; England 430 and 191
02. 1989 Won by 6 wickets
Lord's: England 286 and 359; Australia 528 and 119-4
03. 1989 Match drawn
Birmingham: Australia 424 and 158-2; England 242
04. 1989 Won by 9 wickets
Manchester: England 260 and 264; Australia 447 and 81-1
05. 1989 Won by an innings and 180 runs
Nottingham: Australia 602-6 dec; England 255 and 167
06. 1989 Match drawn
The Oval: Australia 468 and 219-4 dec; England 285 and 143-5
07. 1990-1 Won by 10 wickets
Brisbane: England 194 and 114; Australia 152 and 157-0
08. 1990-1 Won by 8 wickets
Melbourne: England 352 and 150; Australia 306 and 197-2
09. 1990-1 Match drawn
Sydney: Australia 518 and 205; England 469-8 dec and 113-4
10. 1990-1 Match drawn
Adelaide: Australia 386 and 314-6 dec; England 229 and 335-5
11. 1990-1 Won by 9 wickets
Perth: England 244 and 182; Australia 307 and 120-1
12. 1993 Won by 179 runs
Manchester: Australia 289 and 432-5 dec; England 210 and 332
13. 1993 Won by an innings and 62 runs
Lord's: Australia 632-4 dec; England 205 and 365
14. 1993 Match drawn
Nottingham: England 321 and 422-6 dec; Australia 373 and 202-6
15. 1993 Won by an innings and 148 runs
Leeds: Australia 653-4 dec; England 200 and 305
16. 1993 Won by 8 wickets
Birmingham: England 276 and 251; Australia 408 and 120-2
17. 1993 Lost by 161 runs
The Oval: England 380 and 313; Australia 303 and 229
18. 1994-5 Won by 184 runs
Brisbane: Australia 426 and 248-8 dec; England 167 and 323
19. 1994-5 Won by 295 runs
Melbourne: Australia 279 and 320-7 dec; England 212 and 92
20. 1994-5 Match drawn
Sydney: England 309 and 255-2 dec; Australia 116 and 344-7
21. 1994-5 Lost by 106 runs
Adelaide: England 353 and 328; Australia 419 and 156
22. 1994-5 Won by 329 runs
Perth: Australia 402 and 345-8 dec; England 295 and 123
23. 1997 Lost by 9 wickets
Birmingham: Australia 118 and 477; England 478-9 dec and 119-1
24. 1997 Match drawn
Lord's: England 77 and 266-4 dec; Australia 213-7 dec
25. 1997 Won by 268 runs
Manchester: Australia 235 and 395-8 dec; England 162 and 200
26. 1997 Won by an innings and 61 runs
Leeds: England 172 and 268; Australia 501-9 dec
27. 1997 Won by 264 runs
Nottigham: Australia 427 and 336; England 313 and 186
28. 1997 Lost by 19 runs
The Oval: England 180 and 163; Australia 220 and 104
29. 1998-9 Match drawn
Brisbane: Australia 485 and 237-3 dec; England 375 and 179-6
30. 1998-9 Won by 7 wickets
Perth: England 112 and 191; Australia 240 and 64-3
31. 1998-9 Won by 205 runs
Adelaide: Australia 391 and 278-5 dec; England 227 and 237
32. 1998-9 Lost by 12 runs
Melbourne: England 270 and 244; Australia 340 and 162
33. 1998-9 Won by 98 runs
Sydney: Australia 322 and 184; England 220 and 188
34. 2001 Won by an innings and 118 runs
Birmingham: England 294 and 164; Australia 576
35. 2001 Won by 8 wickets
Lord's: England 187 and 227; Australia 401 and 14-2
36. 2001 Won by 7 wickets
Nottingham: England 185 and 162; Australia 190 and 158-3
37. 2001 Lost by 6 wickets
Leeds: Australia 447 and 176-4 dec; England 309 and 315-4
38. 2001 Won by an innings and 25 runs
The Oval: Australia 641-4 dec; England 432 and 184
39. 2002-3 Won by 384 runs
Brisbane: Australia 492 and 296-5 dec; England 325 and 79
40. 2002-3 Won by an innings and 51 runs
Adelaide: England 342 and 159; Australia 552-9 dec
41. 2002-3 Won by an innings and 48 runs
Perth: England 185 and 223; Australia 456
42. 2002-3 Won by 5 wickets
Melbourne: Australia 551-6 dec and 107-5; England 270 and 387
43. 2002-3 Lost by 225 runs
Sydney: England 362 and 452-9 dec; Australia 363 and 226
44. 2005 Won by 239 runs
Lord's: Australia 190 and 384; England 155 and 180
45. 2005 Lost by 2 runs
Birmingham: England 407 and 182; Australia 308 and 279
46. 2005 Match drawn
Manchester: England 444 and 280-6 dec; Australia 302 and 371-9
47. 2005 Lost by 3 wickets
Nottingham: England 477 and 129-7; Australia 218 and 387
48. 2005 Match drawn
The Oval: England 373 and 335; Australia 367 and 4-0
49. 2006-7 Won by 277 runs
Brisbane: Australia 602 and 202-1 dec; England 157 and 370
50. 2006-7 Won by 6 wickets
Adelaide: England 551-6 dec and 129; 513 and 168-4
51. 2006-7 Won by 206 runs
Perth: Australia 244 and 527-5 dec; England 215 and 350
52. 2006-7 Won by an innings and 99 runs
Melbourne: England 159 and 161; Australia 419
53. 2006-7 Won by 10 wickets
Sydney: England 291 and 147; Australia 393 and 46-0
The most obvious indices of disparity here are that since 1989...
> Australia have won 9 Ashes series to England's one.
> Australia have won 34 Tests to England's 9, with 10 draws.
But here are some other points of interest...
> 6 of England's 9 victories occurred when the contest for the Ashes was already settled.
> Australia have won 9 games by an innings, 10 by 200 runs or better, and 9 by 7 wickets or better. And their other 6 victories were all by comfortable margins.
> Of England's 9 victories, one was by 2 runs, one by 12 runs, one by 19 runs, and one by 3 wickets.
As I've said, this is now history, and in one popular sense of that expression, it means it's over, gone. 'You're only as good as your last result' etc. But in another sense, history lasts forever. This particular stretch of it has been quite something, as the above data bear out.