Crikiey, cricket
September 12, 2005 1:58 PM   Subscribe

The Ashes. Five days have given England it's first Ashes victory in 18 years. Both England and Australia have been strong this year. Both Mick Jagger and John Major should be happy. More history and A poem (initial post here). Congrats to the small isle on a great game.
posted by edgeways (53 comments total)
 
Booooo !
posted by jamesonandwater at 2:00 PM on September 12, 2005


now now
posted by edgeways at 2:01 PM on September 12, 2005


"They've garble warble fashes!"
posted by RakDaddy at 2:04 PM on September 12, 2005


Of course, I should've linked here for context...
posted by RakDaddy at 2:05 PM on September 12, 2005


What a great result, but also what a great series of matches.
posted by ob at 2:12 PM on September 12, 2005


At last - great day to work with a load of Ausies (for once) now if only we can do the same in Germany next summer....
posted by brettski at 2:37 PM on September 12, 2005


Bloody brilliant. I've aged this summer but it's been worth it. Some absolutely cracking cricket played in great spirit. I'm so happy...now I'm off to read the Aussie papers & laugh at my brother-in-law ;-)

We've got to go to Pakistan in November and India in February and prove that we are a top side. Then we get to take on Sri Lanka next summer - the last side to beat us in a test series.

Important note: The Ashes is the oldest international sports competition in the world.
posted by i_cola at 2:46 PM on September 12, 2005


A fascinating series. First rate entertainment. Flintoff must surely be the most popular man in the country at the moment. My sound of the summer, though, has to be "ahhr, garn, Shane".
posted by nthdegx at 2:48 PM on September 12, 2005


What a great result, but also what a great series of matches.

You mean, your inclement English weather came to the rescue once again? ;)
posted by Jimbob at 2:50 PM on September 12, 2005


I got to hear updates on the BBC on my way into work, it made me miss living overseas and staying up all night to watch the tests in Australia and England from South Africa.

What blows my mind is that Shane Warne is still an incredibly feared bowler and he was just getting started back in 92 when I became a cricket fan. How many wickets did he end up collecting during The Ashes? Last I heard it was like 34 or 38 or something amazing.
posted by fenriq at 2:56 PM on September 12, 2005


Huzzah! I dearly love and cherish seeing the least sportsmanlike nation on earth lose at anything, simply because of how furious it makes them.

OK, Shane Warne is pretty good at his job, but he's still a revolting shit who ate all the pies.
posted by Soulfather at 3:20 PM on September 12, 2005


Warne took 40 wickets in the series - at least twice the number of any other individual Australian bowler. But what astonished me most was that he started bowling leg-spin on the 4th day of the 5th test with a ball that was 4 overs old! And not just any old leg-spin either; fizzing stuff that did for Strauss.

It was an amazing series, not least for England winning the Ashes but also for making the majority of Britain care in the slightest about cricket.
posted by MUD at 3:26 PM on September 12, 2005


You mean, your inclement English weather came to the rescue once again?

We didn't make the rules. Errrrm.
posted by vbfg at 3:26 PM on September 12, 2005


England win the Ashes and rated No. 1 in the world for cricket
England are world champions at Rugby
England are part of the Ryder cup winning golf team
Liverpool FC champions of Europe

Have I missed any...
posted by bluefin at 3:43 PM on September 12, 2005


Hrrrm Mr bluefin... world champions at Rugby is a bit of a stretch... sure you won the World Cup, but have you won a game since? ;-)

Cracking Ashes series though, and that's speaking as a New Zealander who has no interest in which team won. Several of my workmates (kiwis also) stayed up all night last night.
posted by pivotal at 3:48 PM on September 12, 2005


Did the Chesterfield sofa arrive on the pitch as scheduled?

Or was that Somebody Else's Problem?

(it's really a very very small bomb.)

But anyway, congrats to the Brits! And for the rest of you, the secret is to bang the rocks together, guys. :)
posted by zoogleplex at 4:01 PM on September 12, 2005


//The Ashes is the oldest international sports competition in the world

No it's not - The America's Cup was first contested in 1851. The first English tour of Australia was in 1861. And English cricket wasn't cremated until 1882. And how old is the Stanley Cup.

//world champions at Rugby is a bit of a stretch

No it's not. The English team are the world champions.
posted by Foaf at 4:02 PM on September 12, 2005


Well done England! Good show and all that!

The English guy at work today is going to be highly, highly amused.

And good for proper chanting, much better than the inane 'Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oi, Oi, Oi' that is the most sophisticated thing that gets sung here.
posted by sien at 4:24 PM on September 12, 2005


Not sure you're rated no 1 in cricket yet either. Try winning away from home before you let it go to your head.

And if Warne had held that easy catch off the South African Pietersen, it could have been a different result on the last day. But all in all it was a wonderful series, good for the game and thrilling to watch.
posted by wilful at 4:28 PM on September 12, 2005


oh, oh, I missed this the first time around.
universal law of english sport
posted by edgeways at 4:30 PM on September 12, 2005


The pain of loss (*sob*) is mitigated by the fact this was one of the greatest series ever: just titanic.

Congratulations England. See you next summer.
posted by bright cold day at 4:33 PM on September 12, 2005


But wilful, Pietersen had been dropping easy catches all through the series -- six by his own admission. Being dropped by Warne was just the universe rebalancing things a little.

Seriously, I don't think I've ever seen two more evenly matched teams compete at any sport. Both teams performed amazing feats, there were shots and catches (and overs and innings and matches) that rate among the greatest of all time, and even my girlfriend was glued to the TV. It's a shame the last game fizzled through bad light and rain, but... it's been an amazing summer.

One day someone will make a film of this Ashes series. It will be very, very long.
posted by Hogshead at 4:53 PM on September 12, 2005


One of the few joys of unemployment is getting to watch the whole series on TV. It's been unbelievable, fantastic, nerve-wracking, frustrating, exhilarating. Both sides have been on fire. England are still a long way from being number 1, but we've got a good young team. The next few years will be very interesting indeed.

Jimbob, it's likely that the weather actually saved Australia from further defeat. Chasing 342 to win on the last day with a pumped up England attack? Possible, but Unlikely.

And has anyone seen DirtyCreature recently?
posted by nylon at 5:05 PM on September 12, 2005


So we going to have a front page post for every international sporting event now?

Congratulations to England on their apalling crowd behaviour and player abuse, delaying tactics, misuse of the substitute fielder rules, onfield lack of sportsmanship, death threats against Australian players and exploitation of player injuries.

Living up to a fine history of dirtmanship under fire. Jolly good show.
posted by DirtyCreature at 5:26 PM on September 12, 2005


Now see what you've done nylon. What a brilliant series it was though - torn as I am between the old dart and my adopted country.
posted by tellurian at 5:38 PM on September 12, 2005


Congratulations to England on their apalling crowd behaviour and player abuse, delaying tactics, misuse of the substitute fielder rules, onfield lack of sportsmanship, death threats against Australian players and exploitation of player injuries.

An interesting comment.
posted by nylon at 5:45 PM on September 12, 2005


Bring on the Super Series!
posted by wilful at 6:11 PM on September 12, 2005


Congratulations to England on their apalling crowd behaviour and player abuse, delaying tactics, misuse of the substitute fielder rules, onfield lack of sportsmanship, death threats against Australian players and exploitation of player injuries.

That's mighty ironic, coming from (I presume) an Australian.
posted by pivotal at 6:22 PM on September 12, 2005


Congratulations to the victors. Great series!
posted by Wolof at 6:25 PM on September 12, 2005


How good is the cricket! While not quite as rabidly insane as some of my countrymen (our leader even supports the Iraq war!) it does drive Aussies crazy to lose.
That said, I'll be in my usual spot in the Brewongle stand in two new year's days hence to watch our revenge.
And winning them back will be sweet.
posted by bystander at 7:36 PM on September 12, 2005


England, don't even begin to think that you've got them for the next 18 years.

As for the underarm delivery, the Chappells apologised for that a long time ago, and it was 25 years ago. Though I think DirtyCreature is really overstating the case. Ponting and Warne were both happy to admit the better team won.
posted by wilful at 8:01 PM on September 12, 2005


England win the Ashes and rated No. 1 in the world for cricket
England are world champions at Rugby
England are part of the Ryder cup winning golf team
Liverpool FC champions of Europe

Have I missed any...


Nope, I think you're right, the apocalypse is nigh!
posted by Pollomacho at 8:12 PM on September 12, 2005


England, despite winning the Ashes is still not #1 in the world for cricket. They would have had to win all 5 Ashes tests to do so.

Personally I think Ponting's captaincy was lacklustre. We sure as heck should have batted on in the last game when the light stated fading. When a draw is as good as a loss, you have to play with every minute of time the conditions give you.

As for bad English behaviour, Australia doesn't have the best record for that either. Loophole abuse is pretty even also (Underarm vs Bodyline).

In summary, congrats to the English team. I look forward to the rematch under australian pitch conditions.
posted by fFish at 11:34 PM on September 12, 2005


You mean, your inclement English weather came to the rescue once again? ;)

The Aussies would have struggled to make 340 on the last day of Test against the England attack, if the day hadn't been lost the Oval match could easily have ended in an England win. Admittedly the last 40 or so runs were relatively easy as Australia had given up a little, but even 320 on a worn last day track didn't look an easy total to chase. In addition England would have already won the series if they hadn't lost the day to rain at Old Trafford.

For me the key was that England were the better team. The Aussies have two of the all time great individual players, but they lacked depth in their squad and too many of their batsmen couldn't play the swinging ball (reverse or otherwise). But all credit to them, in particular Shane Warne and Brett Lee who never seemed to know they were beat.
posted by johnny novak at 12:55 AM on September 13, 2005


Despite Dirty Creature's ranting (trolling?) to the contrary, I really feel that this was a series when sportsmanship and "the spirit of the game" really WERE the big winners. Brett Lee, who's previously seemed like a petulant adolescent, seems to have matured into a genuine sportsman. This has been the most exciting, hard-fought and compelling test series I can remember - and irrefutable proof of the superiority of test matches over that shitty abberation known as one-day cricket.
posted by bunglin jones at 1:24 AM on September 13, 2005


What a series. What theatre!

Warne was unbelievable. He reminded me of Keith Miller. This series was like 1953 and 1961 IMO.

The camerawork was the best I've seen. I particularly remember Kasprowicz's lugubrious expression as another four sped away.
posted by emf at 2:42 AM on September 13, 2005


From yesterday's snowmail:

There's always a danger when you are stranded in the goldfish bowl of a newsroom that you think the world sees the world as your small world sees the world - hence today even around the Channel 4 Newsroom (including some of the Scots!) , there's an intensity of interest on the thwack of leather on willow.

Cricket is seizing the imagination here in Blighty, swinging low and high by degrees. An inexplicable game for many, endless yet nail-biting in the extreme and what matters is beating the Aussies - a nation a quarter the size of England in population, with a land mass twenty times the size yet only inhabited round the coastal fringes. It's a grudge job, the English never seem to have got over dispatching all these excellent people as convicts to the boondocks all those years ago, and now hate to be beaten by them so regularly..

Now after eighteen years it looks like The Aussies, who despise the fact that so many Brits think they are descended from convicts (when they are not), have lost. Hope all that makes sense, if it doesn't then you have struck home with that small slice of life that renders the English character somehow flawed, if not actually mad.


I question that "small"...
posted by funambulist at 3:01 AM on September 13, 2005


agreed emf

the way Warne thought Flintoff out yesterday was sensational. He should have been captain IMHO, the guy might be liability off the park, but on it he's not only one of the finest bowlers ever to play the game, he's also a master tactician
posted by johnny novak at 3:03 AM on September 13, 2005


Despite Dirty Creature's ranting (trolling?) to the contrary

Ok
I'm
a
troll

But....

I really feel that this was a series when sportsmanship and "the spirit of the game" really WERE the big winners.

at least I'm not a CNN reporter.

*pewks*
posted by DirtyCreature at 3:44 AM on September 13, 2005


Oh and don't forget this.
posted by DirtyCreature at 3:51 AM on September 13, 2005


you've got to love a whinging Aussie

(no one ever taunted an England fielder at the MCG of course)
posted by johnny novak at 4:05 AM on September 13, 2005


I hate David Boon.

That is all.
posted by dydecker at 4:11 AM on September 13, 2005


DC, if you want your team to win a match, advise them to try actually playing it. Australia took bad light three times in the last test. If you're looking for a victory, don't play for a draw.
posted by Hogshead at 5:27 AM on September 13, 2005


On the final day the umpires were consulting their light metres and in response all the English fans began to put up their umbrellas (It failed to rain all day). The light was offered and when the Aussies came back at the restart, in marginally better conditions, they all had their sunglasses on.

It's going to be a long 2 years wait.
posted by Chunky at 5:49 AM on September 13, 2005


awesome post, if only to flush out yet another whinging aussie. of course down under the crowds always behave impeccably, just ask simon jones if you don't believe me.

as for the ashes, i reckon england should be able to hold onto them for at least the next 18 years. players as good as warne and mcgrath come along once in a lifetime, and that's two the aussies have had all at once.
posted by CliveDallas at 6:26 AM on September 13, 2005


Ah good old cricketzzzzzzzzz
posted by bouncebounce at 6:59 AM on September 13, 2005


You mean, your inclement English weather came to the rescue once again?

Only a cricketing ignoramus or a troll could make that remark, so I'll leave it.

This was a fantastic series which featured an Aussie side that wouldn't lie down and an England side that wouldn't give up. The tension in matches 2-5 was unbearable at times. The result is a fair one, given the way the sides played overall and the distribution of injury and bad decisions pretty much evened out. Even Ponting and Warne had the grace and good sportsmanship to admit England fully deserved the result.
posted by Decani at 7:32 AM on September 13, 2005


Shane Warne is pretty good at his job, but he's still a revolting shit who ate all the pies.

Be fair. He's extremely good at his job.

"You fat bastard, you fat bastard, give that man a pie", was the chant. I have no excuse for laughing like a drain at something so puerile but I did, I did.
posted by Decani at 7:36 AM on September 13, 2005


I dread to think what would happen if England won the world cup.
posted by sgt.serenity at 9:08 AM on September 13, 2005


Sgt.

Scots can play for the English cricket team along with the Welsh and Northern Irish.

At least two England captains have been Scots, Douglas Jardine (admittedly an Anglo Scot) and Mike Denness who's a Bellshill boy. Many other Scots have played over the years, you should be proud of your team...
posted by johnny novak at 10:17 AM on September 13, 2005


The way I look at it, sport is sport. there will always be bad calls and misc, things to quibble over. But in longer games, such as cricket, to a lesser extent baseall, the mistakes even out. One can always say... "if only so and so didn't miss that catch or..." but that is what it is all about, the mistakes and miscues. otherwise we may as well watch machines play and make perfect plays all the time.
posted by edgeways at 3:27 PM on September 13, 2005


But in longer games, such as cricket, to a lesser extent baseall, the mistakes even out

Bingo. The Aussies had some bad decisions in this series. So did England. McGrath got injured. So did Jones. Both sides dropped catches off good batsmen. Only a total fool who:

a) Knows little about cricket
b) Didn't really follow this series in its entirety

...would say that England didn't deserve to win it.

End. Of. Story.
posted by Decani at 6:44 PM on September 13, 2005


at least I'm not a CNN reporter.

Heh heh. Fair call, there, DC. That was some very lazy writing on my part. Oh well.
posted by bunglin jones at 9:43 PM on September 13, 2005


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