AUSTRALIA entered the Vodafone Ashes Series with hopes brighter than Shane Warne’s pearly whites, but so far the campaign has been about as successful as Heidi Montag’s plastic surgery.

Like all sports cricket has it ups and downs. And the only way is up, unless of course you’re a Richmond supporter (Sorry, Damien Hardwick).

There’s no denying Australia is in a form slump and has some serious selection problems. But wind back the clock just four years to the Poms’ last Aussie tour, in the thick of the Warne/McGrath/Gilchrist/Hayden/Langer glory days, and you’ll see it’s all about peaks and troughs.

Win, lose, or frustrating draw cricket evokes passion in people. Australia’s performance in the Second Test was totally lacklustre but the first morning collapse had people in uproar.

Fans flooded talkback radio demanding sackings, promotions and the return of several retired players. The punters mightn’t be happy, but they care.

Anyone questioning the spark in Australian cricket or the game in general should watch the highlights reel from day one of the series in Brisbane. Those watching will never forget paceman Peter Siddle’s electrifying hat trick.

The Victorian paceman wrote himself into Ashes folklore with his devastating spell and sent the nation into raptures on his 26th birthday.

His heroics were the talk around water coolers and workplaces across the country, the name on everyone’s lips and the status or hash tag of hundreds of thousands of Facebookers and Tweeters. Siddle is one of our newest cult heroes and so is Doug and his rug.

Cricket entertains a range of people at many different levels.

If you like the game in its most complicated, strategic and traditional form, Test cricket is for you. If you prefer a quicker, louder and more colourful option Twenty20 is your game and if you sit somewhere in between One Day Cricket offers a nice balance.

Some have suggested recently that cricketers aren’t athletes. Do these people, who have probably never given the game the time of day, think Test cricket is a five-day game of sitting at a poker table? They obviously haven’t experienced the excitement of a tight run chase, big T20 hitting or the thrill of a run out which wins the game on the last ball.

Last time I checked Shaun Tait clocking a delivery at 160.7kmh required some level of peak fitness and only those with elite endurance and concentration can last a day and a half in trying conditions and a pressure situation at the crease.

Need futher proof? Grab a copy of the 2009-10 Men of Cricket calendar and you’ll find 12 pictures of fitness. You don’t have to be a cricket fan to appreciate Mitchell Johnson’s rig.

Cricket is a game which brings people together across the world, one which unites people regardless of race, background or socioeconomic status.

On the field it unites contrasting characters like everyone’s favourite bad boy Warnie, caught with his pants down more than once, with the religious Justin Langer. Back in the 1970s it was flamboyant fast bowler Dennis Lillee and the uptight and emotional Kim Hughes. And now it’s Shane Watson, who lights candles in the dressing room, and straight talking Simon Katich. …

Cricket and its followers worldwide welcome starry-eyed recruits and new spectators with open arms. Everyone can play or watch.

Websites such as Cricket Australia’s She Knows The Rules encourage and support women’s involvement including playing, watching and supporting their partners and sons. Whole families organise their weekends around cricket, whether it be a local competition or watching the latest Test match on TV. It literally brings families and communities together, regardless of how the national team is travelling.

The Aussies may not be able to work in an iron lung at the moment, but that doesn’t mean the game is on the nose. Just ask the millions who play and watch it around the world.

Generally the whingers who complain that the game is rubbish are living in blissful ignorance and haven’t given cricket a try. The 30-second rule doesn’t apply here.