It’s been a rough few weeks. First we had our noses put out of joint; then we had them rubbed in the dirt by our understandably elated antipodean cousins. However, if the bookies are to be believed, we should get our revenge in 2015: they make England slight favourites at odds of 6/5. Basically, the bookies have looked at the real stars of this winter’s Ashes – Rogers, Harris, Haddin and Johnson – and concluded that Australia’s difference makers will be different themselves in two years time...
Don’t believe your own hype – day two at the MCG
After winning the Ashes on the back of a brilliant attack, which won’t be around for much longer, the Aussies suffered what happens to all teams who get cocky and kid themselves they’re the best in the world. We’ve seen it all before with England. When we won the Ashes and then beat India at home in 2011, our players started talking about ‘legacy’ and ‘dominating’ world cricket for years to come. It was all pie in the sky. England hadn’t really been tested against the best attacks, yet we...
The inevitable delayed – day four from Perth
Australia 385 & 369-6 dec. England 250 & 251-5 stumps. As England fans we can’t win when we’re in the doldrums. Had we been bundled out for 47, like this Australian team in the recent past, we would’ve bemoaned our lack of fight and guts. Now that Bell and Stokes have shown a bit of resistance, we’re going to agonise over what could have been. For the first time, England’s middle-order showed that this Australian attack might be a very good one, but it’s essentially the same attack that...
Australia doing enough – day one at Adelaide
Australia 273-5 stumps On the face of it, this test is delicately poised. It probably is. All three results are obviously still possible. What most observers seem to be missing, however, is the broader context. After losing in Brisbane, England really must win this game. Nothing else will do. A draw isn’t enough with Perth – a graveyard for English cricket – just around the corner. Unless we win this match, there’s a strong possibility (or is it more or less a certainty?) that we’ll be heading...
Are New Zealand better than Australia now?
Before I start, I’d like to make it clear that this is not a joke. It isn’t my intention to poke our rivals in the ribs like Glenn McGrath used to do with his 5-0 series predictions. It’s meant to be a serious discussion (as if you’d expect anything else from that blog that brought you the ten best Ashes jokes from 2011). Over the last twenty five years (or is it one hundred and twenty five?) Australia have been far better than New Zealand at cricket. To claim that the Black Caps are superior...
