PlanetCricket
Bot
- Joined
- Jan 13, 2010
Article by The Spin -
With the Ashes set to start on Thursday (in case you didn’t know…),? you’d be forgiven if you thought the contest was a foregone conclusion. General media opinion seems to have awarded the win to England without a single ball being bowled. Australia haven’t got a hope, with their unsettled line-up, lack of spinner or otherwise. That is, if you believe the hype. The problem with all this talk is that it is people trying to play the game on paper. You can analyse and examine all you like, but there is one variable you can never account for. This is the Ashes.
This may sound like a horrible cliche, but it does ring true: the Ashes bring about a kind of unpredictability unseen in virtually any other test series (perhaps excepting Pakistan/India). The pressure is intense, the rivalry is fierce and the matches are competitive. It may be a cricket fan’s dream, but it can be a player’s worst nightmare. If we were to see players crumble in this series, they would certainly not be the first. The weight falls particularly heavily on England, who still have to cast off the idea that they cannot win in Australia. They haven’t done so since the 1986/7 series (another stat you’ll hear a lot in the coming weeks) and once again this will be their ‘best opportunity’ to do so. They’ll be told that if they don’t now, maybe they never will. Over-the-top? Definitely. Will it have an impact? Absolutely.
It isn’t just history, though, which will hit England. It is the Australians (not literally, we hope). In England, the Aussies may have to put up with some light jeering, but it is nothing like the furnace which the English have to enter when they travel south. The English are just nowhere near as into their cricket as the Aussies.?The crowds will be… passionate might be the word. Remember last time around when there were fears?that Monty Panesar may be the subject of overwhelming abuse? It never really erupted, but maybe it doesn’t need to. No doubt the players are asked so often about the reception they will get that it ends up ingrained in them and takes their minds off the game, whether there is anything particularly said or not. These things are always over-hyped, but if you believe the hype then it can be just as bad.
Whilst England have weight on their backs, their opponents have nothing to lose. Being painted, for once, as total underdogs, Ponting and his men will want to come out fighting to prove their critics wrong. The bar is set to an all-time low for them, with their abilities being constantly underestimated. Australia have a better team than they are going to get credit for, certainly one capable of winning a test against any country in the world on their day. If they ever needed an incentive (and since when did Aussies need anything more than beating England), putting those who say the glory days of Australian cricket are over in their place would seem like a tantalising goal. This team may be less imposing than that of previous series and it may be lacking the near-godlike presence of men like Warne and McGrath, but if the pieces can fall together for them then they will be a force to be reckoned with.
England are the favourites, and with good reason, but you should rarely say always and hardly ever say never when it comes to anything, particularly Ashes cricket. What if Strauss and Pietersen leave their bats at home? The magic of Swanny wears off? The pace attack can’t cope without swing? Ponting, Hussey and Katich start to relive the glory days? A new Warne is found? Any of these happening wouldn’t be too hard to imagine. In fact, nothing is beyond reality. This is the Ashes. Sit back, relax and enjoy the ride, but never rule anything out.
More...
With the Ashes set to start on Thursday (in case you didn’t know…),? you’d be forgiven if you thought the contest was a foregone conclusion. General media opinion seems to have awarded the win to England without a single ball being bowled. Australia haven’t got a hope, with their unsettled line-up, lack of spinner or otherwise. That is, if you believe the hype. The problem with all this talk is that it is people trying to play the game on paper. You can analyse and examine all you like, but there is one variable you can never account for. This is the Ashes.
This may sound like a horrible cliche, but it does ring true: the Ashes bring about a kind of unpredictability unseen in virtually any other test series (perhaps excepting Pakistan/India). The pressure is intense, the rivalry is fierce and the matches are competitive. It may be a cricket fan’s dream, but it can be a player’s worst nightmare. If we were to see players crumble in this series, they would certainly not be the first. The weight falls particularly heavily on England, who still have to cast off the idea that they cannot win in Australia. They haven’t done so since the 1986/7 series (another stat you’ll hear a lot in the coming weeks) and once again this will be their ‘best opportunity’ to do so. They’ll be told that if they don’t now, maybe they never will. Over-the-top? Definitely. Will it have an impact? Absolutely.
It isn’t just history, though, which will hit England. It is the Australians (not literally, we hope). In England, the Aussies may have to put up with some light jeering, but it is nothing like the furnace which the English have to enter when they travel south. The English are just nowhere near as into their cricket as the Aussies.?The crowds will be… passionate might be the word. Remember last time around when there were fears?that Monty Panesar may be the subject of overwhelming abuse? It never really erupted, but maybe it doesn’t need to. No doubt the players are asked so often about the reception they will get that it ends up ingrained in them and takes their minds off the game, whether there is anything particularly said or not. These things are always over-hyped, but if you believe the hype then it can be just as bad.
Whilst England have weight on their backs, their opponents have nothing to lose. Being painted, for once, as total underdogs, Ponting and his men will want to come out fighting to prove their critics wrong. The bar is set to an all-time low for them, with their abilities being constantly underestimated. Australia have a better team than they are going to get credit for, certainly one capable of winning a test against any country in the world on their day. If they ever needed an incentive (and since when did Aussies need anything more than beating England), putting those who say the glory days of Australian cricket are over in their place would seem like a tantalising goal. This team may be less imposing than that of previous series and it may be lacking the near-godlike presence of men like Warne and McGrath, but if the pieces can fall together for them then they will be a force to be reckoned with.
England are the favourites, and with good reason, but you should rarely say always and hardly ever say never when it comes to anything, particularly Ashes cricket. What if Strauss and Pietersen leave their bats at home? The magic of Swanny wears off? The pace attack can’t cope without swing? Ponting, Hussey and Katich start to relive the glory days? A new Warne is found? Any of these happening wouldn’t be too hard to imagine. In fact, nothing is beyond reality. This is the Ashes. Sit back, relax and enjoy the ride, but never rule anything out.
More...
