The Ashes are here!

It is a sporting event like no other; one that has captured and captivated generations from both sides for over a century. And how fitting that this most unique and grandest of competitions is played for a simple urn, one that makes the Undertaker’s urn look extravagant. The Ashes are almost here…

I remember my first Ashes Test. I was a young boy who had just discovered the wonderful world of Test cricket in the summer of 1996 with MTV’s telecasts of India’s and Pakistan’s tour of England. Australia and England opened the series 1997 at Edgbaston - a name I would remember for years to come as a venue for high quality cricket. Mark Taylor’s Australia was dismissed for just over a 100 and England began to build a massive lead through future captain Nasser Hussein’s double hundred and Graham Thorpe’s 138. Taylor fought for all his worth and managed to give England a target of 119, which they achieved easily to go 1-0 for the series.

The 2nd Test at Lord’s was marred by rain but not before Glenn McGrath proved his credentials as one of the up and coming greats of the modern era with 8 for 38. During that Six Test series, which ended 3-2 in favor of Australia, I witnessed for the first time what the Ashes meant for these two nations. The series was akin to a war, with every game representing a battle and within each Test, there were skirmishes; McGrath v Atherton, Warne v England, Flintoff v Ponting, Warne v KP etc. Perhaps the very reason that the Ashes have stayed the ultimate Test series is not merely down to its age or numbers, but to its clash of personalities.

England and Australia share a strange history, one which unites and divides them simultaneously. After all, who are Australians but… yes you know where I am going. During the magical series of 2005, one commentator put it as bluntly as – It’s those former convicts coming back to England to slaughter the vicious pigs who sent them there! Thus, Australia’s arrival in England has been a bit more special than the tour down under and since Australia had become dominant at home for almost two decades, tours of England were more competitive.

This summer promises to be the most tightly fought Ashes since anyone would care to remember. Australia isn’t the dominant force they were just 3 years ago when they served up the ultimate hammering, 5-0 whitewash down under. While England was confident in 2005, they still had to battle against two greats of cricket history, McGrath and Warne. This time around, only one legend stands in their way along with a few hopefuls. England on the other hand, have come through some early turbulence to settle down, placing all their eggs in one Ashes’ basket. Two architects of the 2005 triumph are still in England’s camps but this encounter might as well be decided by the new faces, by the boys who might become men. The Ashes have been an opportunity to step back to the past, enjoy a good cuppa tea and reminisce on the good ole days but 2009 is about the future, not merely of the players on the field but the very existence of the game.

So, without further adieu, let the battles begin and may they be glorious.