England reclaim The Ashes

WARNING: This article contains information that some Australians may find distressing.

Blimey! What a result!

Before I begin, I’d like to just take a moment to revel in my Englishness as I wallow in a jacuzzi of Australian misery. After all, I am an England fan, and this is the best thing thats happened for some time! For the next few weeks, every time I speak to an Aussie, there will be a twinkle in my eye and a wry and knowing smile. England getting one over the Aussies doesn’t happen very often, and I am in pole position to make the most of it.

As the article continues, I will try to become more objective, but right now, all I can say is, BOO YA!

Of course, we knew England were going to win from the moment they set Australia a target of 546! But that in-built anxiety that every England fan has meant that there was always an element of fear etched on our faces. And I must admit feeling a little anxious during Hussey and Ponting’s innings. But, you always felt that Flintoff would do something, and having had a very quiet final test, it was his moment of brilliance that started England on the road to glory.

When you look back at the stats in this series, it’s astonishing that England came to the Oval with the series alive, even more so now having won the dam thing. The top 3 wicket takers in the series were all Australian (Hilfenhaus, Siddle and Johnson). Australia scored 8 centuries from 6 different players (Ponting, Katich, Clarke 2, North 2, Haddin and Hussey), whereas England only managed 2 from 2 players (Strauss and Trott). Despite the fact that Andrew Strauss was the series’ top runs scorer, the next 5 players are all Australian. The difference was, that England scored their runs, and took their wickets when it truely mattered, and for this, they must take full credit for a well deserved series win. They got their fair share of luck along the way, but you always need luck. I’ll hold my hand up and admit that I didn’t think they could do it, I predicted a 2-2 draw, and I’ve never been so delighted to be proved wrong!

Having been bowled out for 160, much of Australia’s media pointed the finger at the groundsman for preparing a pitch that would benefit England. Surely quality bowling can’t be responsible for such a batting debacle? Having now witnessed both teams score almost 350+ in their 2nd innings, humble pie has been served. I was also highly amused at an Age article, which couldn’t mention Trott’s name without “South African born” preceding it. Clearly they’ve all forgotten the golden debut of one Kepler Wessels in 1982. I mean honestly! He has an English passport, he married an English girl, his Grandparents are English and he lives in England. He was selected for England and scored a 100 against Australia. Get over it! I’m sure that if the next best batsman in the Australian squad happened to be born in East Timor, no one would mind if he scored a ton on debut.

Australia now find themselves looking for the scape-goat. Much of the blame, particularly given the result of the last test, must rest with the selectors. It was an astonishing decision not to pick a spinner, given The Oval’s reputation. With 12 wickets falling to spinners in this match, the error has been comprehensively highlighted. I also can’t understand why Lee hasn’t played any part in this series. Having declared himself 100% fit for the final 2 matches, his non selection will surely raise more question marks.

I’m sure the debrief from this series will result in a complete overhaul in selection policy for Australia, and we can now welcome them into the real world. Having traditionally favoured only 4 strike bowlers, they must now consider other options. With players like McGrath and Warne, you can get away with only 4, but since their current crop of bowlers can be considered “normal” they will have to consider 5. Hussey’s ton at the death may have saved him for another series, but he is surely on the thinnest of thin ice, and running out your captain never helps.

Some will point the finger at Ricky Ponting. And whilst some criticism is warranted, he will probably remain as skipper. He is still a fantastic player, but he’s really starting to be tested as a captain. He has made some odd decisions this series, with some odd bowling changes, but I very much doubt Michael Clarke would have done any better. Although he may have had more success with the toss!

I can now breath easy for the next 18 months, before it all starts again in December 2010. The next year or so will be a key one for England, and I am hopefully that unlike 2005, this victory will signal the start of an era rather then the end of one. Australia will be keen for revenge however, and I’m quite excited at the proepect that we willl now see some very hotly contested cricket between these two sides over the next 10 years or so.

Right now, we can look forward to the explosive 1 day series, which I’m sure will provide just as many stories as the test series. Bring it on!