1. The margin of victory Everyone expected a tight, closely fought series. Some pundits thought we might just be able to nick it – with a bit of help from the weather. No one, not even the ultra cheerleaders such as Sir Ian Botham, forecast an England win of such crushing magnitude. 3-1 – and all three test victories by an innings, something never before achieved by any touring side, anywhere. It’s our most emphatic Ashes triumph of modern times – and we still quite can’t believe it really happened.
2. The recovery after Perth Our dual collapse at the WACA fuelled traditional English paranoia. The game was up; Adelaide had been a mirage. Now, the real Australia would impose themselves, and we had been exposed for the self-congratulatory impostors we really were. Fortunately, this hypothesis proved to be total bollocks. Unlike all those England sides who gave up meekly when the pressure rose, this time we brushed off Perth as if nothing more than an inconvenience, bowled out Australia for 98 at Melbourne, and then batted with utter calmness and equanimity.
3. Mitchell Johnson They say don’t kick a man when he’s down. As if Australia wouldn’t do that to us. Super Mitch, the comedy turn of the series, represented all that went wrong for Australia: the diffidence, the scrambled brains, the woeful attempts to bluster their way out of trouble. That he iced his cake of failure with a ludicrous moustache, misconceived body art, and an unerring ability to direct the ball anywhere other than he intended, contributed enormously to our enjoyment of the series.
4. Tim Bresnan A true cricketing fairytale. It’s usually a glamour-puss who tips the balance for us down under; Frank Tyson, John Snow, Ian Botham, Chris Broad. By contrast, Brezzer would hardly look out of place in a pub side. Built like a brick privy, and renowned only as a journeyman county trundler, even his mum wouldn’t have backed him to scuttle Ponting and Hussey and then take the wicket which retained the urn.
5. Shane Warne It’s official: we love Warney. Urbane, insightful and downright funny, he again breathed fresh air into the Sky commentary box. He could have been dreadfully one-eyed and jingoistic, all carping and excuses. Instead, he slated Australia and raved about England.
6. Alastair Cook There were – ahem – some cricket blogs who until recently were calling for Cook’s head. At the time, it was pretty reasonable – for nearly two years, Cook had not deserved his place. But what a turnaround! For the first time in his career, he outplayed Strauss – not just statistically, but in precision and fluency too. Best of all was his sheer hunger for runs. As of now, Cook is the Daddy (century).
7. Luck The winning side is always the luckier side, and because we created all the pressure, we earned it. But by jiminy, didn’t the heavens smile on us? Trott probably run out, but between camera frames. Prior and Cook reprieved by no balls. Bell (probably) nicking one which eluded Hotspot. And others besides – each one a further hammer blow to Aussie morale. Let’s be honest, who didn’t enjoy the crestfallen looks on their faces?
8. Spectators Most of whom were English. Our travelling support had plenty to sing about this time, but could hardly have expected that when they set off. Despite all the trouncings of the last twenty years, our lot still travel half way around the world to get behind the team. Contrast that with the Aussie “fans” – who couldn’t even be arsed to get on a bus once they realised they might lose.
9. The power of the urn In the years leading up to 2005, the Ashes were losing their lustre, both here and down under. How could anyone invest emotion in such a predictable contest? How different things are now. We have won three of the last four series, and Australia are hurting badly. 2005 may have stung, but this is different. Game on.
10. It’s over Like any serious England supporter, I never actually enjoy watching us play. The nerves, the tension, the hope – all become so unbearable I just grit my teeth and count down the wickets or runs to the finish line. Add in seven weeks staying up all night listening to Sir Ian Botham, the grotesque sleep deprivation, and my partner forgetting what I look like, I for one am rather relieved it’s finally come to an end. But wasn’t it worth it?
Maxie Allen
To be fair, I forecasted England’s 3-1 victory back in September:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/england/9028697.stm
Got this bit a little wrong though aggers ;)
“The only selection I would query is that of Tim Bresnan – I think he’s fortunate to be on that plane. He had a poor one-day series against Pakistan and, while I know this is Test cricket we’re talking about, I’m not convinced he’s good enough at this level.
He looks like a nice and solid county pro but I don’t see him taking 5-60 in a Test match. What appears to have won him a spot is his ability with the bat – he can do a job at number seven and also provide a seam option in a five-man attack.”
never write off a Yorkshireman, every successful england side needs one :)
Bresnan’s success was either inspiration or luck on the selectors’ part. No one who saw him bowl to Bangladesh last spring could have foreseen him making a monkey of Ponting and Hussey.
To be fair to Bresnan, I think he’s just a much improved cricketer. He’s probably put on a yard of pace, so he’s a bit quicker than he looks now, and he’s improved his control a bit too.
When we met Flintoff, he said that Bresnan hits the bat hard and is quite a difficult bowler to face. I also saw an interview with Mark Butcher in which he claimed that Bresnan bowled quite a few hostile spells to him.
Bresnan was very young when he first played for England in those one-dayers against Sri Lanka. He probably was a trundler back then. However, he has grown stronger with age and he’s now a useful bowler. I think it was a good selection to be honest. He has also handled the pressure pretty well in recent one-dayers and the T20 World Cup.
“It’s our most emphatic Ashes triumph of modern times”
It was thoroughly emphatic, but as a serial defender of Mike Brearley I would point to 1978-79 as a more emphatic triumph. 5-1, but also a lot of thumping wins…
England won by seven wickets
England won by 166 runs
Australia won by 103 runs
England won by 93 runs
England won by 205 runs
England won by nine wickets
166 runs and 205 runs were big victories, considering the Aussies passed 200 only three times in 12 innings.
No need to defend Brearley on this site – exactly one half of the editorial team are very loyal Middlesex supporters!
Fair point re 1978-79 although, unfortunately for the England players involved, that series will always be asterisked as the Packer-affected Ashes.
This time, Australia fielded as full a strength side as they possessed. It was also only a five test series. Three innings victories, and a winning draw at Brisbane, tip the balance.
This isn’t the first time that I’ve seen Aggers having to defend the veracity of the historical record. I can add to this by affirming that I distinctly remember Beefy declaring, well before the start, that England would win the series “at a canter”.
Arithmetically, Botham’s jung-ho predictions would eventually be correct at least once.