Ashes
In keeping with tradition the second “Commentary” post will be the second one about sport.
I’ve spent around 20 days watching, and 5 days listening to cricket this summer, and it’s all been worthwhile - and not just because at the end of it all we picked up that little urn and watched Freddie struggle through an interview clearly smashed off his face during todays celebrations.
First, a history lesson. I’ve been interested in Cricket since the early 90s, when me dad first took me to see Yorkshire play a world invitational. Though I didn’t realise it at the time the game contained several modern day cricketing legends, like Sachin Tendulkar, then a prodigous 19 year old, and Richie Richardson, later to be captain of the West Indies. At that time the England team had just seen many of it’s best players retire, or about to retire. The likes of Gooch, Botham, Gower, Gatting and the rest were on their way out and we were scratching around to find replacements.
It was a bad time for English cricket, we’d just lost the ashes and were getting tonked by half the countries in the cricketing world - and things got worse - until we reached some kind of nadir around the time that Nasser Hussain took over the captaincy.
All this time I’d watch the odd match, my youthful impatience however meant that I had not fully realised the sheer theatre of the test arena, and I preffered One-Day games. I remember going to watch an England v Australia test day, at Headingly, sometime around 97 (it wasn’t later than 97!). The ground was half-empty and it rained for most of the day, but it was still a good experience. Despite the fact that this is when Australia were at the top of their game, and we were at the bottom I think we eked out a draw in this game.
Test Cricket really came home to me when I was working in London. Watching the weekends play and keeping up via the guardian, BBC or cricinfo websites became a regular feature of the summer, and highlights packages became the norm during winter (I didn’t have sky back then). We were still losing, but we were looking better. I remember the England tour of Australia, when Harmison first broke through into the team and couldn’t seem to stop bowling wides and Jones came in, looked good and then got injured for a year and a half.
We were stuffed 4-1 in that series (I think! - I’m not checking any facts here just going off my memory) but by this point I was back into watching the sport in a big way. It wasn’t long until a trip was arranged to a test series, West Indies at Old Trafford. A wonderful days cricket, and I wouldn’t have missed the opportunity to go to the ashes for love nor money. Fortunately Mahinda came through with some tickets and we were there for the 4th day of Old Trafford. Another great experience.
So that brings me to this series, and what a magical series. The majesty of the theatre surrounding cricket was entirely present. The series had everything. and we won it.
Lords : The first day which went from delight to despair. Getting pounded and all the papers wanting to replace have the team.
Edgbaston : I watched almost the whole match in Turkey, I’ll never forget that dramatic 2 run victory sealed only after a heart-stopping 90 minute spell from the aussie tail.
Old Trafford : Mickey Vaughans 165, the agonising wait for that last wicket and the despair of that final Harmison over.
Trent Bridge : my favourite, the one of the follow on blues, Mickey Vaughans Dancing, run out by a sub and Ashley Giles’ regal 7. I listened to this on TMS at the leeds Festival, and the result came through in the middle of a field of thousands of drunk festival goers, surrounded by a selection of mates with Razorlight about to hit the main stage (it turns out their set was delayed 2 minutes so the lead singer could hear the result before going on!) Fantastic.
and, of course, the Oval : where we looked to have thrown it away twice, once when Hayden and Langers imperious stand threatened to tear us apart, and again when Flintoff fell just before lunch with the score on 125-5 on the final day. Warnes dropped catch (and 3 foot spinner!) will live with me for a while, as will Pietersen’s 6-a-thon. Absolute brilliant.
The final session where we knew we were going to win, and the unconfined joy started to spread through the stadium and seemed to seep through the television and into our front room was magical. The whole nation pulled together for a sport that 5 years ago was regarded as a joke.
For those of us who watched England through the bad times this was all the more special, you’ve got to have tasted the lows to fully appreciate the highs and I don’t think there’ll ever be another series as brilliant as the one we’ve just witnessed…
Fantastic
