by Arthur Crabtree » Tue Sep 29, 2015 1:04 pm
So the party's over. Freddie is sober again and flogging stuff for Asda, and the people who lined the streets of London for the drive by have gone home to whatever it was they did before. I don't get the impression that people in Australia are calling up help lines. I read an article by Greg Baum about the series, an emotional piece that suggested the close games and the individual performances had been a nudge, reminding us all that it is a special game we follow; a light flicked on, illuminating the big contests, and the dusty arcane details. Thankfully, gratifyingly, the Aussie team responded to their rare defeat with dignity, and seemed pleased to be part of a tour which had such an impact here.
It feels like a turning point for the game in this country. Will things go back to normal, or will cricket in the UK grasp its moment, retain the youngsters reportedly turning up for practice at their local clubs, and become more than a flicker on the national consciousness? Cricket has been been taken off terrestrial tv and sold to Sky. This doesn't provoke optimism. The team is changing too. Most are coming in from public schools. They are more aware of image and PR, like footballers. It makes me wonder. Will this be the last England team that belongs to the country and all its myriad peoples? Will this be the last England team I will love?
There are more moments I won't forget from this series than any other. I will always remember the eleven players who made up the team, in a Ripping Yarns, Barnstoneworth United, sort of way. I think the real highlight was watching England batters attacking Shane Warne, and sometimes getting the better of him. And that is partly a huge tribute to the great Australian spinner, as well as an accolade to Trescothick, Pietersen and Flintoff, who most memorably took him on. Even if Warne often had the last word.
England go to Pakistan and India in the winter, and winning in Asia represents the next challenge. I remain cautiously optimistic. This team has met every challenge so far. They are a young team, well led who can play under pressure. The return Ashes are only a year away. Wouldn't it be great if the series was another as dramatic as this? Whoever wins in the end. The best sport is played on the sharp edge between winning and losing. That's what illustrates the qualities of the individuals competing. I suspect every series I see from now on will be played among the ghosts of the memories of this series.
I always say that everybody's right.