All those years ago, Reginald Brooks (in 1882) wrote of the death of English Cricket after a loss to the Aussies at the Oval. You can be certain that he would have scarcely imagined the present popularity of The Ashes. It is one of the most keenly fought contests in any sport and in recent years, the Ashes have provided some of the moist inspiring Test Match cricket you could ever wish for.
The present series has arrived amid a lot of hype and so far, like all things pure and resilient, it has lived up to the promise. There is a certain beauty in Test cricket and the Ashes series epitomizes that. You watch the intriguing battle between bat and ball while relentless bowlers and gritty batsmen constantly search for a chink in the opposition’s armour.
And every now and then, out of nowhere, unadulterated inspiration takes over and lifts your spirits with a century or a ‘five-fer’. The stakes could hardly be higher right now. England are keen to end their miserable run Down Under while Ricky Ponting, probably playing his last Ashes, would not want to let the urn slip from his grip a third time. The Aussies are not the same team that they were in the last Ashes Down Under (a thumping 5-0 win) but they are still Australia and they are playing England; at home.
That in itself can inspire magic. On the other hand, the English realize that this probably their best team to have landed on the Aussie soil in 20 years. Warney seconds that. There is no Flintoff but England are better off relying on resilient and reliable players rather than fleeting moments of freakish talent. Resilience goes a long way when teams face the Aussies at their home soil.
If domination and an unshakeable belief that they can win from any situation are the stand-out Aussie traits then resilience is definitely an English one. This resilience was on full display at the Gabba in the first Test where Strauss, Cook and Trott put up a magnificent fight-back in the 2nd innings.
517 for one against Australia at the Gabba is the sort of score that makes you rub your eyes multiple times when you switch on the tele in the morning. Many questions, and promises, loom as we head to the picturesque Adelaide Oval.
Last time these two teams played a Test at this ground, it was a fascinating contest and I would expect nothing less this time. Shane Warne called it one of the most exciting games he ever played in. Both teams crossed 500 runs each in their first innings and then it all turned that final morning. The wicket traditionally suits batters. Don’t forget India’s mammoth totals at this ground in 2003 (523) and 2008 (526). Even an unpredictable batting side like the Windies crossed 400 at the Adelaide Oval last year.
In the past decade, teams batting in the first two innings of the match have crossed 400 ten times. A score of 500 or more is not unusual here. Therefore, barring a freakishly inspired performance by a bowler, expect a big score in the first two innings. If the team batting first gets out cheaply then the opposition is likely to amass a lead big enough to win the game without needing to bat again. The Adelaide Oval produces games that play out like Kasparov’s chess matches; gritty, sustained battles that suddenly open up with a check-mate move. In 2003, it was Agarkar’s spell on the penultimate day for India and in 2006 it was Warne, Lee and Mcgrath for the Aussies.
My point is this: an inspired spell on the fourth or fifth day is known to change around the games played at this ground. The English would remember that from their last Test outing here. They know better than anyone else that when it comes to playing Australia, believing that you can beat them is half the battle.
The biggest question now is: which team has the bowlers to bowl out the opposition twice? Most would say England. Anderson is bowling as well as he has ever bowled and when he makes the ball talk more than his lips then you just know he is in great rhythm. Broad and Finn will need to put up their hands and be counted though; Anderson can’t do it alone as we saw at the Gabba.
For the Aussies, Ryan Harris and the gutsy Doug Bollinger are options to consider. Bollinger is formidable in his own right but one burst of brilliance, like Siddle’s hattrick, will not be enough to get 20 wickets. Do the Aussies have a match-winning bowler in their ranks? To my mind, they do.
But he may not even play this game. Mitchell Johnson had a torrid time of it in Brisbane but he is a gutsy player who can control matches, not just sessions. He has taken nearly 160 wickets in 39 Test matches; many would kill for that record. He is low on confidence, yes, but he is an Aussie and he is Mitchell Johnson. The stage is set for him to bounce back. The wicket usually suits bowlers who thrive on the ball skidding from a length; Johnson does that brilliantly. If he doesn’t play then Bollinger would be the better choice, purely because of experience and his ability to trouble the left-handers. Right then. Enough said.
When the sun rises over the city of Adelaide today, 11 men sporting the Three Lions and the Crown will need to wear their hearts on their sleeves when they take on 11 immensely proud men wearing the Baggy Green. Heart is what the Ashes are all about. It is what Test cricket is about. All said and done, it promises to be a mouth-watering clash. Grab your blankets and set the alarm as the Umpire is about to say, ‘Gentlemen, play’. I wouldn’t want to miss it.
(The writer is a lawyer practicing in Lahore. He claims to be an ardent cricket fan and has jeopardized many of his life’s relationships by being fixated at the cricket on the tube when people are talking to him).
