OPINION: The Germans have a word for it. Schadenfreude, the "experience of pleasure, joy, or self-satisfaction that comes from learning of or witnessing the troubles, failures, or humiliation of another".

If, like myself, you subscribe to a certain maxim, so eloquently expressed on T-shirts, that one's sporting loyalty extends beyond national boundaries, embracing not just New Zealand but "any team that's playing Australia", it has been a mighty few days of schadenfreude.

The underperformance of our trans-Tasman cousins across numerous codes has piled pleasure upon pleasure. A 2-1 defeat to France at the Fifa World Cup was predictable enough, I would have thought.

A loss to Ireland in rugby, the first at home for 39 years, is also somewhat consistent with international trends, given Irish form and relative world rankings. A thrashing in one-day cricket, however, against the old foe and colonial master, now that really is something for the history books.

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Happy days.

Let us pause for a moment to revel in the dimensions of English dominance.

England's win at Trent Bridge on Wednesday morning followed two other victories, sealing the five-match ODI series. They scored 481, easily a new world record, a higher tally than seen in any of the 4010 games played since 1971.

Openers Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow put on 159 for the first wicket. Bairstow finished on 139 off 92 balls. Alex Hales, at No 3, did better still, achieving 147, facing the same amount of deliveries. Both players hit five balls for six. In this they were bested by their captain, Eoin Morgan, who hit six maximums on his way to a brisk 67 off 30 balls, with a strike rate of 223.

GETTY IMAGES Alex Hales celebrates hitting a century during an English massacre of Australia in a one-day cricket match at Trent Bridge.

Four Australian bowlers went for 10 or more runs per over. Andrew Tye alone accounted for 100 of the English runs, an achievement given he only bowled nine overs.

There was only one 50 in the Australian reply of 239, a total less than half that of their opponents'.

The margin of defeat was the 12th highest of all time and worst ever inflicted upon Australia. The result confirmed the country's sixth place ranking in ODI cricket, their lowest in 34 years. Happy days indeed.

Newish coach Justin Langer conceded England were indeed "No 1 in the world". He then went on to compare the opposition to some of his own country's finest.

The highest compliment an Australian can pay is to rate you as good as himself. The English top three were said to be "brutal" and to be hitting the ball in a manner "reminiscent of how we used to play in our day with Gilly [Adam Gilchrist], Matthew Hayden and Ricky Ponting".

Langer might just as well have referenced two other exceptional talents, currently unavailable on account of being caught cheating: Steve Smith and David Warner. The weakness of the current Australian squad is nobody's fault but their own.

AP Australian coach Justin Langer concedes England are the best cricket side in the world.

Reference to older Ocker legends is timely given a recent ESPN survey. To mark the 25th anniversary of the cricinfo website, a panel of journalists, former players and coaches, including New Zealand's own John Wright, were asked to come up with the best test and one-day teams of the last quarter century.

Matthew Hayden was chosen as a test opener, with Ricky Ponting the preferred No 3. Batting at 7, Adam Gilchrist made the test squad as wicketkeeper. His services were also retained as ODI opener. Bowlers Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath were chosen in both teams.

No New Zealanders featured in either side or in any wider discussions around selection. Given the period being assessed – March 1993 to December 2017 – this is perhaps understandable.

Whatever the feats of Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor or Trent Boult, we have yet to claim the top silverware. Our recent record is one of competitiveness and the old cliche of "punching above our weight" is as relevant as ever but so too is the intensely annoying habit of falling at the last hurdle. Usually to Australia.

The challenge of the post-Hesson era is clear. For all that we like to indulge ourselves with the idea that "a champion team will always beat a team of champions", as the Trent Bridge result demonstrates, even Australia are weak without their superstars.

What we need is another player of the calibre of Shane Bond, the one New Zealander who, taken on statistics alone, could have made the 25-year composite side. And to keep him on the park.