2023 Mens' Ashes Series
June 18, 2023 8:11 PM Subscribe
The first match of the 2023 Men's Ashes series is underway, at Edgebaston in England. So far Australia's Usman Khawaja has made 141, dismissed by England's Ollie Robinson. Previously, previously, previously, previously.
The Womens' Ashes, which celebrates its ten-year anniversary in its current multi-format, begins on the 22nd.
The Womens' Ashes, which celebrates its ten-year anniversary in its current multi-format, begins on the 22nd.
If you're wondering what they're playing for, this video shows off the small urn the series is named for, symbolically and sarcastically representing the death of cricketing pride. Replica trophies are often made, but it's generally understood both teams are playing for pride.
Basically, it's an international derby; England hate losing cricket to the provincials, while Australia hate losing.
posted by Merus at 8:28 PM on June 18, 2023
Basically, it's an international derby; England hate losing cricket to the provincials, while Australia hate losing.
posted by Merus at 8:28 PM on June 18, 2023
England is, however, quite practised at losing in sports they invented.
posted by How much is that froggie in the window at 8:40 PM on June 18, 2023 [6 favorites]
posted by How much is that froggie in the window at 8:40 PM on June 18, 2023 [6 favorites]
England is, however, quite practised at losing in sports they invented.
Ones they didn't invent too!
posted by Dysk at 12:55 AM on June 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
Ones they didn't invent too!
posted by Dysk at 12:55 AM on June 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
This Ashes is particularly fascinating because it’s the biggest test yet for Bazball.
For the uninitiated: 15 months ago, England got a new manager, Brendon ‘Baz’ McCullum, and a new captain, Ben Stokes, and it has been the most dramatic transformation I can ever remember seeing in a team sport. They had been on a run of one win in 17 matches; since the change they’ve won 11 out of 13.
And maybe more importantly from a fan point of view, they changed from playing safe, boring cricket, badly, to swaggering, aggressive, high-risk cricket which seems like it can't possibly keep working… but so far it has. Can it work for five matches against the Australians, who are officially the best team in the world?
After three days of play, the answer is… maybe. But it should be fun finding out.
posted by Bloxworth Snout at 12:56 AM on June 19, 2023 [5 favorites]
For the uninitiated: 15 months ago, England got a new manager, Brendon ‘Baz’ McCullum, and a new captain, Ben Stokes, and it has been the most dramatic transformation I can ever remember seeing in a team sport. They had been on a run of one win in 17 matches; since the change they’ve won 11 out of 13.
And maybe more importantly from a fan point of view, they changed from playing safe, boring cricket, badly, to swaggering, aggressive, high-risk cricket which seems like it can't possibly keep working… but so far it has. Can it work for five matches against the Australians, who are officially the best team in the world?
After three days of play, the answer is… maybe. But it should be fun finding out.
posted by Bloxworth Snout at 12:56 AM on June 19, 2023 [5 favorites]
Honestly, as someone who has watched England for decades, it's hard to communicate how weird it has been watching this team. It’s hard to think of a suitable analogy. It’s not just that they’re suddenly winning matches, it’s that by various measures they are playing the most aggressive cricket in the 130 year history of the sport. And it’s England who are doing it! Not Australia or the West Indies — England!
I’m sure there are a bunch of old duffers at the ECB who are just desperate for it to all go tits-up, so they can say they told us so and demand a return to traditional Test cricket, and maybe it’s not sustainable in the long run, but it has been quite something to watch.
posted by Bloxworth Snout at 1:24 AM on June 19, 2023 [7 favorites]
I’m sure there are a bunch of old duffers at the ECB who are just desperate for it to all go tits-up, so they can say they told us so and demand a return to traditional Test cricket, and maybe it’s not sustainable in the long run, but it has been quite something to watch.
posted by Bloxworth Snout at 1:24 AM on June 19, 2023 [7 favorites]
It's been good to watch/follow so far, especially the collection "WTF?!" in the pub garden when Stokes declared rather than let England bat on for a higher first innings total. The fielding positions Ben has been employed have been splendidly unconventional - and England took a first innings lead.
Even now, at the start of day four we don't really know how this first match will play out, and it's generating a bundle of extra questions:
- Was Moeen over-bowled in the first innings (Root is still arguably under-used) and will his finger mean he'll be less able in the second innings (or even, I'm suspecting, retiring from red ball cricket after this match so I hope he gets at least a half century when batting to go out on something)?
- Will Robinson ever STFU or grow TFU, and is he not fully fit anyway (has he ever been 100% fit for a test match)?
- Bairstow out, Foakes in?
- Has Crawley done, again, just about the bare minimum to keep his opening place?
I just hope it doesn't end in a draw due to weather; wish, as with the final of the first world championship, there was a reserve day (or day six) for this kind of situation. Five scheduled days is sometimes not enough time to determine a match winner.
Though I want England to (narrowly) win both the match and the series (preferably 3-2), there's a part of me which would love England to lose this first match, the inevitable criticism from the old brigade to splutter all over the usual media ... and Brendon and Ben to pointedly ignore it all and take their same approach for the second test.
posted by Wordshore at 1:51 AM on June 19, 2023
Even now, at the start of day four we don't really know how this first match will play out, and it's generating a bundle of extra questions:
- Was Moeen over-bowled in the first innings (Root is still arguably under-used) and will his finger mean he'll be less able in the second innings (or even, I'm suspecting, retiring from red ball cricket after this match so I hope he gets at least a half century when batting to go out on something)?
- Will Robinson ever STFU or grow TFU, and is he not fully fit anyway (has he ever been 100% fit for a test match)?
- Bairstow out, Foakes in?
- Has Crawley done, again, just about the bare minimum to keep his opening place?
I just hope it doesn't end in a draw due to weather; wish, as with the final of the first world championship, there was a reserve day (or day six) for this kind of situation. Five scheduled days is sometimes not enough time to determine a match winner.
Though I want England to (narrowly) win both the match and the series (preferably 3-2), there's a part of me which would love England to lose this first match, the inevitable criticism from the old brigade to splutter all over the usual media ... and Brendon and Ben to pointedly ignore it all and take their same approach for the second test.
posted by Wordshore at 1:51 AM on June 19, 2023
My thought process: "Why is this sports series called the Ashes, are they cremating the sports or something *checks wikipedia* ...wait a minute."
posted by Pyrogenesis at 2:07 AM on June 19, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by Pyrogenesis at 2:07 AM on June 19, 2023 [5 favorites]
> I’m sure there are a bunch of old duffers at the ECB who are just desperate for it to all go tits-up
Wasn't there an overhaul in ECB management which preceded the upgrade to Baz and Stokes? I think the old duffers already left.
posted by Gyan at 3:43 AM on June 19, 2023
Wasn't there an overhaul in ECB management which preceded the upgrade to Baz and Stokes? I think the old duffers already left.
posted by Gyan at 3:43 AM on June 19, 2023
I don’t think we should objectify men’s ashes like this. They are people who…
Oh.
Well, go ahead with the playing, then.
posted by GenjiandProust at 4:30 AM on June 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
Oh.
Well, go ahead with the playing, then.
posted by GenjiandProust at 4:30 AM on June 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
Saw the photos but didn't see why Darth Vader was being escorted out. Anyone know ?
posted by Webbster at 5:13 AM on June 19, 2023
posted by Webbster at 5:13 AM on June 19, 2023
Having a Sith or Jedi present would surely lead to all kinds of speculation about foul play. Using The Force to influence a ball might not be against any specific rule, but it's just not cricket.
posted by Dysk at 5:56 AM on June 19, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by Dysk at 5:56 AM on June 19, 2023 [5 favorites]
(I sipped afternoon pints at a pub in, I think, Queensway called The Ashes, on several occasions when I should have been doing something else. Nothing special about it but I liked it.)
posted by wenestvedt at 6:20 AM on June 19, 2023
posted by wenestvedt at 6:20 AM on June 19, 2023
"James Anderson reverse-sweeps his first ball from Nathan Lyon away for four."
We live in strange, but also sometimes wonderful, times.
posted by Wordshore at 8:08 AM on June 19, 2023 [2 favorites]
We live in strange, but also sometimes wonderful, times.
posted by Wordshore at 8:08 AM on June 19, 2023 [2 favorites]
England got a new manager, Brendon ‘Baz’ McCullum, and a new captain, Ben Stokes, and it has been the most dramatic transformation
Baz being the former New Zealand national team captain and Ben being born in New Zealand. Just saying... :-)
(I think Bazball is a more entertaining style of cricket and I'm glad England are trying different things and being more aggressive in their approach - they deserve some W's just for that)
posted by inflatablekiwi at 9:48 AM on June 19, 2023 [2 favorites]
Baz being the former New Zealand national team captain and Ben being born in New Zealand. Just saying... :-)
(I think Bazball is a more entertaining style of cricket and I'm glad England are trying different things and being more aggressive in their approach - they deserve some W's just for that)
posted by inflatablekiwi at 9:48 AM on June 19, 2023 [2 favorites]
I have aged during this match.
Deep into the evening of day five. England need 2 wickets. Australia need 16 runs. 10 overs left.
Aged.
posted by Wordshore at 10:50 AM on June 20, 2023 [1 favorite]
Deep into the evening of day five. England need 2 wickets. Australia need 16 runs. 10 overs left.
Aged.
posted by Wordshore at 10:50 AM on June 20, 2023 [1 favorite]
It's fun to see everyone walking towards Edgbaston Cricket to watch the match! Everyone in their hats and colourful outfits makes it really seem like an English summer. I could hear the cheering and singing from over a mile away yesterday.
posted by Ms. Moonlight at 10:55 AM on June 20, 2023
posted by Ms. Moonlight at 10:55 AM on June 20, 2023
Infected by the spirit of Bazball, Pat Cummins bludgeoned Australia to a remarkable first Test victory…Metafilter: infected by the spirit of Bazball
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 2:43 PM on June 20, 2023 [1 favorite]
So that was a truly entertaining test match. Onto Lords!
posted by jjderooy at 7:47 PM on June 20, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by jjderooy at 7:47 PM on June 20, 2023 [2 favorites]
Bazball: a cult of bruised masculinity where you win even if you lose — Barney Ronay (Guardian)
posted by Bloxworth Snout at 4:44 AM on June 25, 2023
posted by Bloxworth Snout at 4:44 AM on June 25, 2023
No chat about the second test?
I'm Australian but don't care that much about cricket - it was within the rules right? What's the fuss? Would like to know what the good folk of metafilter think.
posted by pianissimo at 3:57 AM on July 3, 2023
I'm Australian but don't care that much about cricket - it was within the rules right? What's the fuss? Would like to know what the good folk of metafilter think.
posted by pianissimo at 3:57 AM on July 3, 2023
« Older “Don’t speak of how women can’t become heroes” | 'But this is the kind of Christianity I can... Newer »
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 8:12 PM on June 18, 2023 [22 favorites]