The Ashes - History and preview to the 2013 series
As England and Australia battled in their 2013 ICC Champions Trophy opener, it was just the first of many times the two historic rivals were crossing paths this cricketing season. With two back-to-back Ashes series scheduled along with a number of corresponding one-day and T20 fixtures, the two arch-rivals would have seen more than enough of each other by the time their respective tours come to an end. And with both the series being so long, the two teams would do well to avoid injuries and breakdowns due to fatigue.
The Ashes is the most prestigious series, in the history of Test cricket in particular, and the sport in general. Played biennially and hosted alternately by 2 of cricket’s earliest competitors, the Ashes, for most part, has been bitterly fought over and at times been controversial (read Bodyline). There has also been mutual respect between the 2 sides as was evident when Andrew Flintoff consoled a distraught Brett Lee after England’s narrow 2-run win in the 2nd match of the 2005 series. But the bottom line is that the Aussies hate Poms. The Poms hate the Aussies. Period. The infamous brawl between Ian Botham and Ian Chappell is just a “small” example. The competitive edge has come down a bit due to the dramatic decline in Aussie fortunes, but the intensity and urge to win the Ashes is still the same.
The Ashes have seen some splendid performances. Be it Sir Ian Botham single-handedly leading England to a series win at home against their arch nemesis or Andrew Flintoff establishing himself as England’s finest all-rounder with his series winning exploits in the memorable Ashes 2005, which was a series that also saw Kevin Pietersen announcing his arrival on the international stage. Who can forget Shane Warne’s “ball of the century” to dismiss Mike Gatting, Ricky Ponting’s match saving 156 in the third Test in 2005, Adam Gilchrist knocking the stuffing out of his great rivals with the 2nd fastest Test century ever, at WACA in 2006, Jim Laker’s feat of taking 19 out of 20 Australian wickets in a match. And ah, how can I forget my personal favorite, Gary Pratt (remember him?) running out Ponting, who left the field throwing obscenities towards the English dressing room. There have been many other great performances, so the list can go on and on.
Of the 4 last Ashes’, the series hosted by England in 2005 and 2009 were closely fought, with the one in 2005 being regarded as one of the finest Test series of all time, as England finally wrested back the historic urn from their rivals. The 2006-07 and 2010-11 Ashes, hosted by Australia, were completely one-sided, as the former was won by the hosts, who whitewashed their opponents 5-0 to regain the urn. England took the latter series 3-1 to retain the Ashes, that they won at home in 2009. Now, as Australia prepare to take back the urn from England, their prospects look very grim. They are no longer the dominant side they used to be, as they have been hit by high-profile retirements in the last 6 years. The youngsters have simply failed to rise to the occasion, as a result of which their current Ashes squad is the weakest in years. They don’t look equipped to play Test cricket and their best (and only Test quality) batsman, skipper Michael Clarke is battling back problems. For all his success in ODIs and T20s, Shane Watson is yet to establish himself as a Test specialist and will have a lot to prove himself in the aftermath of “Homework-Gate”.