Cricket-Match-Special ... A forum for discussion

After one day of the 2013-14 Ashes in Australia one thing has struck me; we are playing Australia again. Every year since 2009 we have played each other in some form of bilateral series, be it the Ashes itself or merely an ODI series.

In part, what made playing Australia so special was its rarity. Playing this regularly may provide the ECB and ACA with financial gains in the short run, but it is highly questionable how sustainable it will be long term. The ECB may be better of trying to secure five match test series against the other premier test nations; India and South Africa both at home and away rather than simply line their pockets with another Australia series or a limited overs only tour of the Caribbean.

The frequency of England-Australia clashes could be the reason why, certainly in my mind, there seem to be less characters and memorable moments than previously. Sure, England have Graeme Swann and Stuart Broad and the Aussies have Dave Warner but somehow, despite being extraordinarily talented players, the likes of Cook, Trott, Tremlett and Rogers don’t have the same aura, the same excitement as Andrew Flintoff, Brett Lee and Steve Harmison.

Perhaps the lack of characters combined with overkill is the reason why there seem to be less memorable moments from the last two Ashes series than in previous series. I don’t have the same emotional attachment to the victories in 2010-11 and 2013 than I did when we won in 2005 and 2009.

In 2005 we had Harmison cutting Ponting’s face, McGrath bowling superbly before injuring himself and the escape at Edgbaston, where Harmison dismissed Kasprowicz to effectively, keep the series alive. The tension, emotion involved and passion displayed by both sides comes second to no other cricket series I’ve followed.

In 2009 we had Anderson and Monty Panesar defying the Australian bowlers, after four Aussie batsmen had made centuries, including that pantomime villain, and Ashes legend, Ricky Ponting. Many of us thought there was no way back from there, but the superb bowling of Flintoff at Lords turned the momentum completely and at the Oval, Swann combined with Broad to skittle the Australians in the first innings and in the second, Flintoff’s unreal run out of Ponting coupled with three wickets for hero of 2005 and villain of 2010-11 Harmison, led to victory.

Maybe I’m being unreasonable, or too nostalgic, but these last two Ashes series have not felt the same.

Kim wrote:Maybe it just feels different when we are holders of the ashes and expected to win? 2005 was after a long drought and 2009 after the 5-0 so felt bigger achievements than just retaining the urn possibly.

I think that's it in a nutshell, I'd rather see my team win a close game than completely overrun the opposition. Makes for better viewing.

GG - Amir Sohail wrote:In 2009 we had Anderson and Monty Panesar defying the Australian bowlers, after four Aussie batsmen had made centuries, including that pantomime villain, and Ashes legend, Ricky Ponting. Many of us thought there was no way back from there, but the superb bowling of Flintoff at Lords turned the momentum completely and at the Oval, Swann combined with Broad to skittle the Australians in the first innings and in the second, Flintoff’s unreal run out of Ponting coupled with three wickets for hero of 2005 and villain of 2010-11 Harmison, led to victory.

Meant 2006-07, of course.

A bit of overkill, although I'm still up for the five tests. If the Aussies can fight and give us a game, then this could be a classic series.

Maybe it just feels different when we are holders of the ashes and expected to win? 2005 was after a long drought and 2009 after the 5-0 so felt bigger achievements than just retaining the urn possibly. Another thing that puts me off is the long build up and hype which gets longer and more absurd before each series. I find it vaguely ludicrous now.

Thses back-to-backs are much more about getting out of the ashes away /world cup cycle rather than money though - but agree the interminable odi series are a real grind.

As for the 5 match test series, its dying very quickly which is a shame. The stats on it are very stark


ARTHUR - next series is in 2015 because they originally wanted 2012 then 2016. But 2012 would have clashed with the Olympics so was moved to 2013. 2016 would have clashed with the European Championships so was moved to 2015 which clashes with nothing.

Site now only letting me post by adding to previous posts. Strewth!!!!

Certainly there is some overkill, but I think moving this series out of the way of the WC is sensible. I'm not sure why we have another home series in two years.

I can't day I think the ODI series we've been playing matter that much or detract from the Ashes. They don't have the same sort of stature, and don't soak up the same sort of emotional involvement. They are over and forgotten quickly.

I'd rather we didn't have back to back Ashes. But I'm glad I'll be able to watch the cricket tonight!

In terms of characters, I think we get more social coaching of the players now, so the players go through a personality grooming of the sort you'd get from Motown stars in the 60s. Except fewer sequins. This gives us the desperate anguish of the Ian Bell or Stuart Broad interview. Maybe managers will see that this sort of thing kills interest.

I don't agree that 09 was so memorable, and 10-11 forgettable. The latter was one of the great wins and full of indelible moments. It was level going into the fourth Test. I found 09 less interesting, with England coming out of a slump, and Australia entering one, I didn't feel the quality was incredible. Sometimes these things depend on the state of our own lives.

There'll never be another 05. It delivered the improbable on a session by session basis, and the often single handed resistance of Warne made a rousing subplot. I think the better tv coverage helped.

There are free highlights on freeview, freesat, Durham. Can't remember what channel, it's a Sky free to air channel.

It's called Pick.

People have always lamented the lack of characters in the game compared with the ones just gone. People said it about the players I watched. These turned out to be Boycott, Gower, Botham, Willis, Gatting...

Yeah pick tv. I think they are on at 22.00

Arthur Crabtree wrote: I think the better tv coverage helped.

There it is, in a nutshell. I forget how many millions of people were glued to '05 as it progressed (was it 10 or 11?, just guessing though), but national interest declined sharply once the possible viewing population went down to about 300K. I think it was Damien Martyn who noted, on TMS in the summer, his surprise at the general antipathy towards the '09 series when he returned to Britain ahead of that series, compared to the ashes fever gripping the nation when he left 4 years earlier. Sky have done many good things for the ECB, cricketers, and cricket, but reducing the viewing audience to a fraction of where it had been in '05, isn't one of them. I completely accept that '05 was something extraordinary, and so viewing figures would be greatly reduced regardless, but I'd be confident that free to air figures wouldn't go anywhere near the current lows.

I've just seen the 30 seconds of coverage afforded to me on the 6 o'clock news. That's as good as it will get for me over this tour.

Dr Robert wrote:Yeah pick tv. I think they are on at 22.00

so they are. thanks chaps. I didn't even know I had pick tv.

Durhamfootman wrote:

Dr Robert wrote:Yeah pick tv. I think they are on at 22.00

so they are. thanks chaps. I didn't even know I had pick tv.

on the planner. first day watched. thanks.

Kim wrote:These back-to-backs are much more about getting out of the ashes away /world cup cycle rather than money though - but agree the interminable odi series are a real grind.

ARTHUR - next series is in 2015 because they originally wanted 2012 then 2016. But 2012 would have clashed with the Olympics so was moved to 2013. 2016 would have clashed with the European Championships so was moved to 2015 which clashes with nothing.

Site now only letting me post by adding to previous posts. Strewth!!!!

But after the 2019 World Cup follows an Ashes series.

All was needed to avoid an Ashes/World Cup cycle was host this current series in winter 2015/16 and the next England series in 2017, the following Australia series in 2019/20, following England series in 2021 (4 months after the India World Cup) and jobs a good one.