Even with a past catalogue of misery stacked up as evidence, I doubt that many Ashes tests have caused me quite as much disruption as Melbourne, 2010… and this is even before a ball has been bowled.
Watch the England players’ sprinkler celebration following their resounding victory at Melbourne.
Being on Ricky Ponting’s side is not an experience I expected to have this winter, but after what I heard this morning and have been reading in the course of the day, he has my sympathy
It is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma
– Sir Winston Churchill, on Russia. 1939
A look at the 24 players who have featured in the 2010-11 Ashes so far, and the level of their performances thus far.
So I’ve mostly been frustrated this week. And being English, it’s a successful England side that’s got me worried.
As an Ashes sunset lightly sets on an England victory in Adelaide, recriminations and celebrations are rife. England, taking the lead in surely one of the most beautiful cricketing landscapes in the world, have won first blood in a fight that will rage on through the festive season.
In the wake of England’s thumping victory over Australia in Adelaide, I decided to head over to Twitter to see what the tweeting part of the cricket community thought about the monumental triumph. Because we’re so kind here at Ashes HQ, I’ve decided to share a few.
Pietersen showed all his famous traits during his innings, and indeed Test best score, of 227 at Adelaide in the latest Ashes Test. The confidence he talked about in the summer time that had ebbed away was back in full force as he shimmied across his stumps and flicked the ball effortlessly through his favourite mid wicket area. Perhaps the only thing missing from this innings was an outrageous switch hit, but KP had plenty of other scoring options without taking unnecessary risks.
It’s a good job the first two tests are back-to-back as cricket message boards across the web were chocker full of over-analysis in the aftermath of Monday’s drawn test. Most of the discussion, in particular in Cricket Web’s Ashes Forum, centred around wondering which side had the momentum following the game. Was it England after easing their way to 517-1, was it Australia after showing they could get England out cheaply, or indeed after Ponting’s impressive innings in the dying overs? Valid points can be made either way so we won’t dwell; if you haven’t got an opinion on that it’s probably for the best, and in a few hours time it won’t matter anyway.