If Australia win or draw the second Test in Christchurch, they will become the No.1 Test team in the world. I have never been a huge one for rankings, but do we deserve this honour? Are we really the best Test team in the world? How can we really be the top Test team when we haven't played Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe or Bangladesh over the past three years?
The Kiwis didn't even throw a punch in the first Test and got what they deserved. I am not taking anything away from the Australians as they have played some exhilarating cricket over the summer. Steve Smith, as captain, has not done a thing wrong. He has not lost a Test as captain, with six wins from 10 matches. Since   October 2015, Smith has smashed them everywhere and averaged more than 75 to earn the ranking of Test cricket's top batsman. 
There are still some shaking their heads how he has gone around making run after run. It might be a reflection on the quality of Test attacks around the world and the flat decks, but let's not take anything away from him, he has been brilliant. So do we deserve all these accolades? Many critics might say had we won in England, then it might be a fairer recognition.
Is our lofty status a reflection on the standards of Test cricket? Or is it more important to our fans and players to win the Ashes than being No.1? I dare to say 90 per cent of our fans would say winning the Ashes means more. Similarly, you could ask any Indian cricketer what's more important: being No.1 or beating Pakistan in a Test series?
Until the ICC can provide a proper Test World Cup, with proper qualifying stages, then the fans will stick to their traditional series. With the fans' thirst for Twenty20 cricket growing around the world, the ICC had better organise a Test World Cup ASAP or Test cricket will be played only by the top six countries. The West Indies Cricket Board is about to pay its players $US2000 more for a T20 match than a Test.
Can this Australian team get better? Flat pitches are taking a toll on our quick bowlers. The cupboard is getting empty with the injuries to, among others, Mitch Starc and Nathan Coulter-Nile added to the retirement of Mitch Johnson. That leads me to another question. What is Pat Cummins doing? Any chance of getting on the park, Pat?
Is Adam Voges really that good? Well, his numbers are mind-boggling and I am really happy for the guy. His harshest critics will always ask what he did in the Ashes. How will he go against Sri Lanka on seamers in   July and how will he play on turners in India in   February 2017? I really hope Voges' Bradmanesque form continues. He is a quality player and once he is in, no one seems to have an answer as to how to get him out.
Is Josh Hazlewood good enough to be our No.1 Test bowler at the ripe old age of 25? He has taken 58 wickets in the past 14 months at 23 runs apiece, averaging a wicket every 47 balls. Let's not forget he has been bowling mostly on ridiculously flat decks and still producing great numbers. All credit to him.
People forget how important Nathan Lyon is to our team. Lyon has taken 58 wickets over the past 14 months and is only eight wickets away from 200 Test wickets. He has been terrific over the past few years and people don't see the little things he does within the team. He is the team's soul and their best mate. He is worth his weight in gold.
Mitchell Marsh is continuing to impress me. He is not a No.6 all-rounder yet, but his bowling is improving every outing. He is starting to get good batsmen out and has a belief that he is good enough to hurt the opposition. His batting hasn't progressed as well as his bowling. It's been 13 innings since he has made a Test 50, but in fairness Marsh has sacrificed his wicket in a chase for quick runs at least four times that I can remember over the summer and sadly, sacrificial team acts are not recorded in Wisden.
With all the T20 cricket coming up, Marsh just doesn't have the quality time that he needs to work on his batting technique.   June should not be a rest period for him. That is the time he needs to get his old man "Swampy" to work in the nets on his forward defence, bat planes and back-foot play.
Many people judge the Australian team hard. All they can do is to win and win well, which they have done. Yes, their opponents haven't been great over the past six months, but this Australian team has played a quality brand of cricket. They don't make the rules and if they get the job done in Christchurch they will deserve top billing among the world's Test nations.