Today’s Australian has an extensive – I mean extensive – report of the Australian women’s cricket team’s successes, most particularly their defeat of England in the Women’s World Cup 50-overs final. It was not enough to praise them for their success in their category of play. No, once again the sports writer had to go into a delirium of admiration for the women, ending up comparing one batswoman’s performance with Adam Gilchrist, a true star of the men’s game. The report began thus.

‘Adam Gilchrist has paid tribute to Alyssa Healy as one of cricket’s greatest ever big-stage performers, after she eclipsed his own World Cup heroics in Christchurch.‘

Gilchrist is being admiringly humble. If he had ever batted against the bowling of the English women’s team, he would have been 500+ not out. It is total nonsense to compare women’s and men’s performances. It would be the same as comparing a boys’ under-16 team with the men’s team. Irritated, I dashed off the following in the comments section under the report.

‘The commentary on the women’s cricket is part of the ideological pretence forced on the general public. Many below the level of the media’s guardian are not fooled.’

It was an entirely appropriate comment, given the body of claims the public must pretend to believe in order to escape social annihilation, claims that would have had you laughed out of countenance a mere twenty years ago. The Australian did not pass it.

Are the Australian’s editors gutless, or do they really believe in the nonsense?