And what of the opposition players that perform well in these dead matches? Mark Butcher’s best return against the old enemy came in the Leeds dead rubber of the 2001 Ashes campaign.

Likewise Alec Stewart’s highest knock against Australia was his 107 in Melbourne in the 1998/99 series. England won that test but the Ashes had already been retained by Australia. Were these players only able to produce their best when the intensity of the competition had been reduced to playing for pride?

New Zealand completed a thrilling run chase to beat Australia in the final Chappell-Hadlee match in Christchurch, but again, the trophy had already been allocated a spot in an Australian cabinet before the game began. It would be hard to imply that Australia were off the boil in the match with New Zealand having to chase down a world record score to secure a win, and yet something tells me that the result may have been different if the series was still alive.

The Christchurch game was remarkably similar to the second match in Wellington. Both sides posting impressive totals and an adrenaline pumping finish, but in the game that mattered (in terms of a series result), the Australians landed on the winning side of the fence.

Australia played the part of the disappointed losers at the end of the match, but with the presentation of the series trophy following shortly after, a lasting smile was soon returned to their faces.

So how much and for how long do the opposition savour the dead rubber victories? The Black Caps certainly looked ecstatic at beating their Trans Tasman rivals in the final game. Beating the world champions is always deserving of a hugs and smiles and souvenir stump grabbing. But how long will the sweet taste of victory linger on the New Zealand taste buds? I have a suspicion that winning a game when the big prize has gone, means the sound of victory does not resonate much after the showers have stopped running in the dressing room.

Technically at least the term dead-rubber is slightly flawed. Because of the new ICC Test and ODI championship rating system, every international game is worth vital points. And given there isn't a lot of gap between sides ranked in between 2 to 6, no side should think a win or loss doesn't matter.

At least once in recent (well, not so recent) history Australia were shameless enough to take a consolation win instead of conceding it. It was the 3rd Test of their 1998 tour of India. After losing the first 2 tests comprehensively they pocketed the 3rd one at Bangalore.

On an individual level, I think the 150 odd made by Mark Waugh in that match remains his highest Test score though it was not even the highest score of that match.

The big coverup is that these elite umpires have an agenda to maintain the status quo. Whether or not they are aware of it, these umpires give more close decisions to the Aussies, English and SAns when they are playing against the other teams. Even not-so-close decisions often go in favor of these teams to the detriment of the other teams. I challenge the authorities to do complete analysis of decisions by umpires in every series and publish the results . Breakdown the results with respect how many wrong decisions go against each team . Further, how many of those wrong decisions are against the top batsmen in each team. That will give an indication of the umiring scam that's being going in international cricket. I dare the ICC to do this study and make the resutls known to the cricketing public.