David EdwardsHow Will the Ashes Change After 5-0?
January 4th 2007 12:25
Tomorrow afternoon, at the SCG, we will see history. Not only will it be the last Test matches that three players that have made Australia so dominant in the past, but it will be the first time since 1920 that England have lost the Ashes chase in a whitewash.
In the past 86 years, both sides have at least put up a brave front for all Test matches, and regardless of which side is able to claim the urn in victory, wither England of Australia have been able to walk away with at least one victory to their name.
But at the close of play tomorrow, it seems that England will leave our shores not winning a single Test match. It has been a harrowing, soul-destroying tour for England, where not only have they lost a number of players due to injuries or personal reasons, but in the near future they might lose a few more players as England try to explain their demoralising loss.
The problem is that there is no real position they can pinpoint their loss. The obvious place they will begin to look as at their skipper, Andrew ‘Freddy’ Flintoff.
Whilst Flintoff will be shouldered with the majority of the losing burden, I believe it should be looked further. Blame must go to key player like openers Strauss and Cook, who never really placed a key part in the competition until the chase was over. It must go to a number of their bowlers, who could not fire as well as they did last season in England. But above all the blame must be fired towards the selectors, who insisted in the first two Tests not going in with the best eleven men, which meant the biggest player to make an impact their tour for England, youngster Monty Panesar, was unable to set foot on the field until the Perth Test.
But the bigger question on every single supporter’s minds is how will this fare for the future of the Ashes. After the absolute marvel that the England Ashes series held in 2005, the realisation that they could go from claiming back the Ashes to a 5-0 whitewash is a very sobering thought.
From tomorrow at the SCG, we will see the loss of three key players for Australia with bowlers Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and opener Justin Langer. But this could be the start of a very big snowball.
The next Ashes tour is slated for 2009, and a lot will happen in the next two years. Australia will probably lose a few more key players by then (Gilchrist and Hayden spring to mind), but that will be nothing compared to the shift in the England squad.
Next time we square up for the Ashes, the England side would have changed dramatically. But after this series you would not expect otherwise. They were at the top of their game in England, and there is no doubt that after the pain and suffering they have just been through they will be looking for blood, and to reclaim the Ashes.
Whilst everyone was gearing up to this Ashes tournament, and whilst Australia were able to win back the urn, it was not as exciting and nail-biting as we were expecting. With only the Adelaide Test the only real competition this summer, England will be licking their wounds for some time, and when we meet up again in 2009, it will be probably one of the biggest Ashes chase we have seen in history.
Until next time, sports minds.
In the past 86 years, both sides have at least put up a brave front for all Test matches, and regardless of which side is able to claim the urn in victory, wither England of Australia have been able to walk away with at least one victory to their name.
But at the close of play tomorrow, it seems that England will leave our shores not winning a single Test match. It has been a harrowing, soul-destroying tour for England, where not only have they lost a number of players due to injuries or personal reasons, but in the near future they might lose a few more players as England try to explain their demoralising loss.
The problem is that there is no real position they can pinpoint their loss. The obvious place they will begin to look as at their skipper, Andrew ‘Freddy’ Flintoff.
Whilst Flintoff will be shouldered with the majority of the losing burden, I believe it should be looked further. Blame must go to key player like openers Strauss and Cook, who never really placed a key part in the competition until the chase was over. It must go to a number of their bowlers, who could not fire as well as they did last season in England. But above all the blame must be fired towards the selectors, who insisted in the first two Tests not going in with the best eleven men, which meant the biggest player to make an impact their tour for England, youngster Monty Panesar, was unable to set foot on the field until the Perth Test.
But the bigger question on every single supporter’s minds is how will this fare for the future of the Ashes. After the absolute marvel that the England Ashes series held in 2005, the realisation that they could go from claiming back the Ashes to a 5-0 whitewash is a very sobering thought.
From tomorrow at the SCG, we will see the loss of three key players for Australia with bowlers Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and opener Justin Langer. But this could be the start of a very big snowball.
The next Ashes tour is slated for 2009, and a lot will happen in the next two years. Australia will probably lose a few more key players by then (Gilchrist and Hayden spring to mind), but that will be nothing compared to the shift in the England squad.
Next time we square up for the Ashes, the England side would have changed dramatically. But after this series you would not expect otherwise. They were at the top of their game in England, and there is no doubt that after the pain and suffering they have just been through they will be looking for blood, and to reclaim the Ashes.
Whilst everyone was gearing up to this Ashes tournament, and whilst Australia were able to win back the urn, it was not as exciting and nail-biting as we were expecting. With only the Adelaide Test the only real competition this summer, England will be licking their wounds for some time, and when we meet up again in 2009, it will be probably one of the biggest Ashes chase we have seen in history.
Until next time, sports minds.
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