The unhealthy obsession with the Ashes

[Fidel Castro]

Stumbled upon a nice piece from the Editor of Cricinfo.com, Sambit Bal.

Cricinfo - Blogs - From the Editor - An unhealthy obsession with the Ashes

I am staggered at the way large sections of the English cricket establishment and even the English media have managed to work themselves up over Kent signing Stuart Clark for the first part of the next summer.

Not only is it a needless distraction, but it also reeks of hypocrisy. Have they forgotten the generosity New Zealand extended to them by allowing Jimmy Anderson to play for Auckland to gain match practice during England’s last tour there?

And this quote from Andrew Strauss is a bit rich: "It's very easy for the counties to be short-sighted and worry about their next championship game and season … From an England team's point of view it's important we all need to buy into the fact that an England team performing well helps everyone, including the counties." He was the other beneficiary in New Zealand, playing five games for Northern Districts.

I have to admit I am in agreement with the Editor's views there. The hue and cry raised by the British broadsheets and tabloids carry no merit and in fact is hypocritical and myopic. How conveniently the forget that not only English players like Strauss benefited from playing in domestic cricket of the countries England toured, but also that in not so distant past, touring teams used to play atleast four to five first class matches before playing a test match. And there is nothing documented to my knowledge that such exposure evened the home advantage to nil.

Both sides, particularly English team has been bleating about the Ashes from a long time back. It is as if the intervening test series were some sort of "practise" games to build up momentum for the coveted urn. Times have a changed.

 

[Lillian Thomson]

Of course we're obsessed with The Ashes. In a nation starved of International team success it's one of the few famous sporting trophies where we're bound to finish in the top two.

 

[four_or_six]

To be honest, if we won the Ashes and lost every other match for the next two years, I'd be happy.

Of course, the point about the team concentrating on what they're doing at the time is correct.

 

[TT Boy]

Seems like you have an unhealthy obsession with this forum and duplicate accounts. Sad ****.

 

[Fidel Castro]

To be honest, if we won the Ashes and lost every other match for the next two years, I'd be happy.

Of course, the point about the team concentrating on what they're doing at the time is correct.

Don't you think then you are guilty of creating unnecessary blocs in cricket? It has become more global than ever. And thoughts of fans like you are taking it backwards aint they?

 

[four_or_six]

Don't you think then you are guilty of creating unnecessary blocs in cricket? It has become more global than ever. And thoughts of fans like you are taking it backwards aint they?

Don't you have a sporting rivalry in Cuba that is way more important than others? I mean, if Cuba beat the USA in basketball at the Olympics, would you really care about anything else?

 

[Uppercut]

Thanks, but we'll be obsessed with whatever cricket we want.

 

[Fidel Castro]

Thanks, but we'll be obsessed with whatever cricket we want.

And weren't you the one who was shouting about the sensitive Indian fans in another thread?

I feel the primary reason for direness of English Cricket has been this fixation with the Ashes for quite some time. Australia moved on and started treating them on par with other major tours they undertake and hence they were able to put in more effort and attention to their overall cricket and improve their consistency.

 

[Uppercut]

Don't worry, you haven't offended me. But i don't think any of us are obliged to pretend to be equally interested in all cricket.

In terms of the England management, they probably would indeed be better off trying to maintain good standards all the time.

 

[superkingdave]

Should increase the Ashes to 6 Tests, play home and away every 2 years. Possibly reduce other tests to the status of 'Ashes Warm-ups' as well.

 

[Fidel Castro]

Should increase the Ashes to 6 Tests, play home and away every 2 years. Possibly reduce other tests to the status of 'Ashes Warm-ups' as well.

Aren't they doing that now?

And such S & M tendencies! Vicarious pleasure in being flipping decimated everytime?

 

[Jamee999]

 

[Sanz]

Was that Precamb ?

 

[roseboy64]

 

[Burgey]

See all the ****ing mints falling from the sky in that photo?

Cheating ****s.

 

[99*]

See all the ****ing mints falling from the sky in that photo?

Cheating ****s.

 

[Top_Cat]

The article-writer is spot-on about the hyprocrisy over Stuart Clark, though.

 

[pasag]

Strauss

 

[oitoitoi]

That article is spot on, can't believe that Strauss came out with that, the whole thing's just embarassing really. They cant have their cake and eat it too regarding foreign players. It's rubbish like this that makes me support Australia every ashes series (the only time I support them reall...). The biggest problem with the ashes obsession is that it's asymmetrical, Australia concentrate on the job in hand, England come up with grand misguided schemes that almost never work.

What's the deal with this precam bloke? Why's he banned? There seems to be a reference to him in every thread.

 

[sammy2]

In the past they weren't competitive in the wisden series, so no surprise they cared less about it.