Ashes to Ashes (Dust to Dust?) (The Ashes)

Member Name: marandina

Product:	The Ashes
Date:	19/11/06 (343 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: It's always a great occasion

Disadvantages: We look 2nd best already and possible racist chants

I’m not sure how many cricket lovers there are on Dooyoo (or whether there are any at all) but for those of us who follow this noble sport then the top table of cricket competition starts in Australia next Thursday. Of course, I’m referring to the Ashes contested between England and Australia. Having got over the euphoria of finally winning cricket’s unofficial world cup last year, the Aussies get a chance to gain revenge in their own back yard. If there are any non-cricket loving readers actually trawling through this review then too enlighten you around the reason for playing this sporting series at all: The Ashes is a Test cricket series, played between England and Australia dating back to 1882. The series is held every two years alternating between the two countries as hosts. The series is named after a satirical obituary published in “The Sporting Times” in 1882 following the match at The Oval, in which Australia beat England in England for the first time. The Ashes themselves are kept in a small urn originally presented to the England captain Ivo Bligh by a group of Melbourne women at some point during the 1882-83 tour and are reputedly the ashes of a bail, ball or stump. Controversially, regardless of who actually wins the series, the urn remains in the MCC Museum at Lord's although the Australians make repeated representations to change this tradition so that The Ashes can return home with them the next time they win. I've actually seen the Ashes in its case at Lord's and I would heartily recommend a look around both the ground and/or the museum on one of the organised tours. It really is fascinating!

The last series in England was simply unforgettable. Frankly, I’ve never known anything like it. Well, at least not since the Botham inspired heroics of 1981 that left an indelible mark on my sporting psyche and sold me the concept of cricket forever. During those heady summer days of Freddie Flintoff’s batting and bowling, Michael Vaughan’s gentlemanly captaincy (in stark contrast to Ponting's childish outbursts) and Ashley Giles coming of age as a slow bowler, I couldn’t get enough of following the matches whether on TV, listening to LW on the radio or following it on the BBC website at work. There were plenty of occasions where lunchtime was spent in the pub to follow the game on TV and if ever there’s been a greater tension during a sequence of games of cricket then I’ve never come across it. So having won the Ashes back after all those years in the wilderness; having done the open top bus tour of London and having had the most public of celebrations in which the media closely tracked the descent of the team into complete inebriation after the final test at The Oval then can England retain the Ashes in Australia? Well, it’s going to be tough.

Fact: Australia will be desperate to win The Ashes back. It’s well documented that this is one of the oldest teams on record to go into a series like this and with a possible average age of 33 and the team’s best bowler possibly past him prime at 36-years of age in Glenn McGrath then there is a concern that the red-hot favourites may suffer from tiredness as the series progresses. Certainly, his injury in the second Test last year, in which he accidentally slipped on a cricket ball during warm up, seemed to make a big difference as England went on to clock up a 2-1 lead in his absence, ironically making a mockery of McGrath’s prediction of a 5-0 Aussie whitewash. However, with a fired up Brett Lee and the irrepressible Shane Warne bolstered by the inclusion of Shaun Tait and uncapped left-armer Mitchell Johnson then the Aussie attack looks formidable. There’s no holes in terms of batting and with an impressive Test winning streak since the Ashes defeat in England, Australia have been quoted by bookies as 4 to 1 on to win the series.

In contrast, England’s preparation has not been good. A couple of woeful tournament showings in one-day competitions abroad has been followed by the high profile breakdown of Marcus Trescothick and the continuing doubts around fast bowler, Steve Harmison’s fitness and confidence. Monty Panesar remains relatively unproven as an International spinner and Andrew Flintoff is not fully recovered from a summer operation to enable him to bowl his full quota during the forthcoming tests. The team will be heavily reliant on the fireworks of Kevin Pieterson as top, middle order batsman and Cook and Bell providing much needed back up to Andrew Strauss’s undoubted class as opener. Maybe being such rank outsiders may help the team to go into the series without too much pressure on its collective shoulders although the recent sledging incident involving a member of the public and the Indian Panesar may be a sign of things to come as the Aussie crowds note the message that the partisan English crowds of 2005 may have added an edge to the home team’s game. Having been blown away by a President’s XI in the opening game of the tour, England’s batting has improved with the recent draw against South Australia with Bell and Collingwood coming up with decent knocks.

If you are anything like me and keen to follow the Tests then there are lots of ways to do it this time around. You can watch the action live on Sky, BBC is carrying highlights whilst BBC Digital will also be showing highlights via the red button for those who want to watch when suits them. You can follow things ball-by-ball via the BBC website as well as timesonline.co.uk whilst radio coverage comes from Radio 4 LW and Radio 5-Live Sports Extra (Digital). There’s a podcast available at http://www.bbc.co.uk/fivelive/sport/cricket/ and The Times is following Matthew Hoggard’s video blog at http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,23069-2443 897,00.html. With all those resources at your disposal then there’s no excuse to miss it is there?

Personally, I think this Ashes series is a mountain to climb for the England boys. Despite the brilliant support of the Barmy Army and the sporadic genius of KP, without Trescothick and unless Harmison gets his head together very quickly then it’s hard to see us getting a positive result. I honestly think a draw overall would be outstanding and probably result in another open top bus jobbie in the English capital again. The first Test is in Brisbane next week and the Aussies haven't lost at this ground since 1988. With subsequent Tests in Adelaide (Dec 1st - 5th), Perth (Dec 14th - 18th), Melbourne (Dec 26th - 30th) and Sydney (Jan 2nd - 6th), here’s hoping and good luck to the lads!

Thanks for reading

Mara

Footnote: Only the English would invent a game that lasts up to 5 days and could still end up as a draw!

Summary: Look ahead to the 2006/7 Ashes Series