LearnEnglish Sport: Pom and Aussie's Ashes Blog

The three main factors

To find the meaning of words you don't understand or to do a language activity, click here. On the new page, double-click on any word and its definition will be provided from Cambridge Dictionaries Online.

*****************************************************************

So, the first test is over – long live the Aussies! Once again the Australian cricket team has shown that it is top dog on home soil. If we look at the reasons for the crushing Australian win there are many clues which demonstrate why my team cruised so easily to an eventual victory on Monday. There were three main factors that came into play in this first game of what promises to be an epic series: winning (or losing) the toss; fitness and match practice; attitude.

The toss

Experts stated before the series began that the outcome of the toss would be pivotal in deciding the overall result at the end of each game. Many went further and said that the England captain would need to win 4 of the 5 tosses in order to retain the Ashes. Last Friday proved this point perfectly. I sat and watched Ponting and Flintoff (wearing their traditional baggy green and British blue caps) during those vital seconds as the coin spun in the air and then settled on the ground. Ricky had won this battle and it was a very good sign for the Aussie faithful. He chose to bat first – and bat he did! 196 runs for himself and 602 for the team as a whole. A massive score and one of the highest first innings totals ever by a test team at the GABBA. Winning the toss was essential to the Aussie win.

Fitness and match practice

The Australian team may be fairly old in comparison with the England team, but their performance pointed to an almost complete domination in terms of fitness and stamina. There’s been a lot of talk about McGrath, Langer and Hayden being past it, unable to take the pressures of a five-test series under the scorching Aussie summer sun. With wickets, runs and dazzling all-round performances, the old boys proved the critics wrong.

The fact that Australia had recently won the tough ICC champion’s trophy, as well as having a gruelling test schedule in 2006, seems to point to the fact that they have a level of match fitness (and therefore team ‘togetherness’) that is far superior to that of the English. Obviously time will tell if my analysis is correct, but for now it seems to be so.

Attitude

My final point has to do with attitude. From the evidence of the first test the Aussie team appears to be bursting at the seams with attitude. The first innings batting performances aptly demonstrated the fire in Australia ’s belly, particularly contrasted against the erratic bowling performance of the English. However, it was when McGrath and Brett Lee hit the field that the difference in attitude became clear. The two opening bowlers (as well as new boy Stewart Clarke) dazzled the local crowds and frightened the Poms so much that they were all out for a measly 157. This awesome display inspired the rest of the team and soon our boys were electric in the field, not missing a beat and almost scaring the opposition into submission. Attitude and the will to win played an enormous part in our victory.

It all looks good for the second test and the country is abuzz with anticipation for Friday’s game. Let’s hope the news will be as positive for Aussie fans in our next edition! See you next week.

by Aussie

Anticipating the Ashes

To find the meaning of words you don't understand, click here. On the new page, double-click on any word and its definition will be provided from Cambridge Dictionaries Online.

*****************************************************************

It only seems like yesterday that I was nervously downing another pint of beer in a very old Nottingham pub; watching the spin master, Shane Warne, as he blitzed the English batting line up. I was on holiday in England and staying with my good friend, James Kay in Nottingham. Luckily for me I was there at the exact weekend of the fourth test. As I sat among a room full of English cricket fans I prayed that ‘Warney’ would be able to produce another one of his fantastic displays, finish the England tail off and we’d be able to take a 2-1 lead into the final test. Unfortunately for me (and the rest of my countrymen) it was not to be; England managed to stay in, win the test and then win the Ashes for the first time since 1987.

The emotion on the streets of Nottingham (and all over England) was unforgettable and I was completely swept up in Ashes mania, much to the disappointment of my non-cricket loving wife! The series proved to be one of the best ever and has led to an amazing build up for this year’s competition. Personally I’m feeling very anxious for the competition to begin, especially as this year it is in my home country of Australia! Names like the MCG, SCG, Adelaide Oval, WACA and GABBA will be the fortresses where my beloved Australia will reclaim The Ashes and send the ‘Poms’ back to England with their tails between their legs.

For an Australian, the attraction of the Ashes is very hard to explain. I suppose it could be seen as something like the football (soccer) World Cup; a time where the country is completely overtaken in a wave of patriotism and sporting fever. Of course cricket is globally not nearly as popular as football, but in a sports-mad country like mine it seems like these five games of cricket mean the world to everyone.

The spirit of the 2005 Ashes tour and the drama that came with it made me remember the days of my childhood. These were days when I used to sit with my mother at home and watch epic five-day matches between Australia and England during the hot summers of the late 70s and early 80s. Great cricketing names like Dennis Lillee, Ian Botham, The Chappell brothers, Bob Willis, and my all time favourite player, David Boon would battle for the sacred prize. Maybe it was the way they all seemed to enjoy the game so much (or perhaps it was their very large moustaches). Whatever the reason, I was in love with the game of cricket.

Now it’s less than two weeks before the first test in Brisbane and the country is buzzing in anticipation; waiting for the two gladiators to meet. The build up has begun and the English are here, all set to battle for the most precious prize in world cricket. For Australia it looks good – we’ve just won the ICC Champions Trophy (the only competition we had not won before) and we will be fighting for the little urn on home soil. The English are on much shakier ground. They have performed very badly in the past few months and just this week were humiliated by the Prime Minister’s XI in a one-day match.

The scene is set for a dramatic series!

Over the next two months I will be talking regularly with my good mate, Jim Kay each week about the Ashes. Unfortunately for him he’s an England fan!  We will discuss the games, the players, team performances, analysis, predictions and gossip about the most important competition in world cricket. Along the way we will provide you, the reader and LearnEnglish user, with language activities, new vocabulary and hopefully some very interesting facts and opinions.

I hope you will join us, comment, ask questions and enjoy The Ashes too!

by Aussie

Glossary

spin (bowling): a style of bowling (when a cricket player "throws" the ball) where the ball turns around and around and changes direction when it hits the ground

line up: the players on a team

test: a five-day international game of cricket

tail: the weaker batsmen in a team

stay in: to remain batting

MCG, SCG, Adelaide Oval, WACA and GABBA: the five Australian cricket grounds

Poms: a colloquial Australian name for the English team

Urn: another name for ‘the Ashes’, the trophy won by the winner of the series of game.

home soil: playing in your own country

one-day match: a game of cricket played in one day, rather than five

reclaim: get back again

Links

Find out more about the Ashes

Find out more about cricket

Back to LearnEnglish Sport

Language activity

This first posting is not accompanied by a language activity. All other postings will have language activities.