Did the sun rise?
When I woke up this morning I had to blink a few times and check that the sun had actually risen. The unthinkable happened overnight when England won back the Ashes.
I’m not a gambler, but could have picked up pretty good odds a few months back on England winning the series. So where did it all go wrong?
Firstly, England is a very good team with a core group of talented players. There is a blend of youth and experience.
Secondly, Ricky Ponting is not in the same league as Taylor, Waugh and Border when it comes to captaincy. He rules by committee, lacks imagination and makes some bad decisions.
Australia failed to take its chances in the final test and a bit of luck went England’s way throughout the series.
Some of Australia’s selection choices were dodgy. MacGill should have played in the fourth test and Hayden was lucky to play in the last two.
Our team is getting older and the bowling lacks penetration beyond Warne and McGrath, both of whom were probably on their last tour of England.
It’s important that some young players come into the side this summer.
These articles might be of interest:
I had to check with one of my British coworkers regarding what this meant.
He seemed to be as surprised as you are and explained that the British rarely win any of the games they invented.