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Public support for the Ashes

By Will last year, mid-May Add your comment below

One of the big differences between the 2005 Ashes and those before was the support of the public. Granted, this was helped by the Edgbaston win, but even before that, in the one-day series, there was a tangible sense that Britons had had enough of doffing their cap to the Australians.

You could see it with the guard of honour at each match, which got up the nose of Ponting when the kids were waving flags in their faces. The crowd at matches were baying for Australia’s blood. When Ponting was run out by Gary Pratt, prompting his red-mist at Duncan Fletcher as he made his way up the pavilion steps, the initial reaction was shock. But it quickly dissipated into derision. All these little things helped make 2005 the series to beat them all, but in particular they helped England win.

Someone on TV said the other day that for England to win this year’s contest, the public will have to be right behind them. I hope so, purely as I want an even and drama-filled series, but I just can’t see it happening now that cricket is no longer on terrestrial. The ECB made a killing out of Sky, but will it come back to haunt them if it hasn’t done so already?

Here’s an infantile clip which never ceases to make me chuckle.

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14 Responses to “Public support for the Ashes”

  • vinay verma wrote:
    May 17th, 2009 at 10.15 pm

    The crowds will certainly be a factor. The grounds being so small they should all be sellouts.

    However,the game is played in the middle and in the minds. What gets up Australian noses is a captain with airs. And if he has bowlers with aggressive intent all the better. Think Jardine with Larwood. Breareley with Willis and Botham. Vaughan with Harmison,Flintoff,Jones and Hoggard.

    In the absence of an uppity Captain you need strike power.Smith had Steyn and Dhoni had Ishant Sharma and Zaheer Khan.

    The Aussies have had six hard Tests against South Africa and will be confident. In Lee,Siddle and Johnson they have bowlers with speed and aggression. Against this the England batting looks fragile.The success against the Windies was just a good “net”. Johnson is adept at breaking left handed batsmen’s fingers and Cook and Strauss should be wary.

    With the evenness of the two sides it will come down to catching.

    If Flintoff and Harmison play England are slight favourites.

    Expect Ponting to have a big series. This may be his last Ashes tour.He is approaching 11000 Test runs and along with Tendulkar and Lara is a modern great. He will be dismissive of Pratts and baying crowds. 22 yards is all it takes to define a cricket team. And these are hard yards.

  • richo wrote:
    May 18th, 2009 at 8.20 am

    Gonna be an awesome series can’t wait for it to start….

  • zedzdead wrote:
    May 18th, 2009 at 9.35 am

    “….I just can’t see it happening now that cricket is no longer on terrestrial. The ECB made a killing out of Sky…”

    Totally agree, why can’t they sell somebody the rights to make a highlights/magazine show for terrestrial?

  • TG wrote:
    May 18th, 2009 at 12.43 pm

    sorry, disagree. In a perfect world we could watch it on terrestrial – but you havew to give sky credit for not only the excellent coverage of international matches – but the wall to wall coverage of county games.
    Would the BBC really be interested in screening 3 friends prov matches (sky have 3 this week) and then devote another 2 hours in the evening for comprehensive highlights? Could the BBC attract the top commentators and pundits or would be be left with multi-sport presenters – ray stubbs etc!
    My memories of BBC test match coverage (and latterly c4) was that the broadcast would be regularly unterupted by the news or by racing. Nothing is more annoying.

    Credit where credit is due but sky have my vote, even if its costing a few quid!

  • Elliott wrote:
    May 18th, 2009 at 8.32 pm

    You make some good points Will.
    But i just don’t think the British public are behind there team anywhere near enough to have an impact on the inevitable result…

    I am actully in the living in England for this summer, im over here playing cricket (what else would i be doing here really). The best thing is that i won’t have to stay up to all hours of the morning to watch the Ashes like i did in 2005.
    I am actully living down in Devon, and if i remember correctly you come down this way every now and then do you not…

  • Stu wrote:
    May 19th, 2009 at 12.18 am

    You are right about the 2005 series – it was obviously special. Right from the start it was clear the the Aussies were up against all of England not just the first XI. The press, the crowd, everything. It was great and horrible all at once (from my Aussie point of view).

    Even from the outset, losing the Twenty20 and being 7 for 31, losing to Bangladesh, and being put up in a “haunted Castle” :-)

    Let’s hope for a repeat performance with a marginally difference result ;-)

  • Mark wrote:
    May 19th, 2009 at 5.55 pm

    TG misses the point. Sky’s coverage is excellent, but the number of people watching it is a fraction of those who watched either Channel 4 or the BBC, even with the scheduling problems mentioned.

    These days. if a sport isn’t on terrestrial TV, it doesn’t progress. Rugby League and Boxing are two sports that have gone backwards in terms of popularity since (for different reasons) they went off terrestrial TV. There’s a real risk Test cricket will go the same way.

    It wasn’t all cricket’s fault. The BBC had fallen in love with football and made no effort to woo cricket in the end. Be interesting to see what happens after the analogue switch off when the BBC will be able to stick cricket on one of it’s now many channels confident that anyone can watch it. But that depends on them wanting it, being willing to pay, and there being enough interested people beyond the forty-somethings who got into cricket from ‘free’ BBC coverage when they were children.

  • Trey wrote:
    May 20th, 2009 at 6.15 am

    If England do well, start out with a draw or a win in the 1st test, or at least don’t quickly fall behind, all the replays of ‘05 will be shown and people will get excited. The nation will be behind the team. It’s a really simple equation and I think people underestimate the impact of a cracking 1st day of the 1st test last time and the victory in the 2nd that followed.

  • Will wrote:
    May 20th, 2009 at 10.29 pm

    Elliott – yep, spot on. Whereabouts? I’ll be there next week as it happens, near Dartmouth. Nice part of the world, though not too many Aussies make it there. London’s swamped by you lot…!

  • Elliott wrote:
    May 20th, 2009 at 11.03 pm

    haha i am only a few miles from Dartmouth!!!
    I have even played a few rounds of golf at the Dartmouth Golf and Country Club (nice course, but it seems to be freezing cold whenever we go!)

    I am playing cricket for Dartington & Totnes cricket club, and am living near Cornworthy in amongst the the lanes between Totnes and Dartmouth.
    We might have to catch up for a pint and a cricket yarn next week then…

  • Will wrote:
    May 20th, 2009 at 11.14 pm

    Small world. I’ll be south of Dartmouth near Slapton Sands but, yeah, let’s do beer.

  • vinay verma wrote:
    May 21st, 2009 at 11.05 am

    Will,I like the landscape of your blog. Informed people and obviously we all love our cricket.Bob Willis could be England’s answer to Barry Humphries,aka Dame Edna. Bob was tremendous in 1981 with his wicked inswingers.

    I would like to see Stuart Broad rough up Hughes or Ponting early in their innings. He set Sarwan up beautifully but by then Sarwan had already scored a hundred.

    The Australian selectors have been predictable and are picking players that trot the company line. On ability alone Symonds streets Andrew MacDonald. Cricket Australia is playing the moral police and Symond’s so called misdemeanours must be scaring off sponsors. A good team but no excitement. The treatment of Symonds could well push more freespirited and talented cricketers into the arms of the IPL.

    cheers

  • Stu wrote:
    May 22nd, 2009 at 4.54 am

    viney verma – for “Excitement” in the Aussie team look no further than Phil Hughes and Mitchell Johnson.

    Hughes is as aggressive as any opening batsman ever and Mitchell Johnson? Well, batting bowling, whatever he does, he’ll be entertaining.

    These guys mixing it with Pieterson, Flintoff and Harmisson will be brilliant.

  • vinay verma wrote:
    May 22nd, 2009 at 8.26 am

    Agree with you Stu. Both Philip(doesn’t answer to Phil) and Mitch J have the X factor. Pretty Boy Watson could break down and rushing someone in disrupts the team. I dont know why Cricket Aust dont take 18 or even 20. They have enough in the coffers. Symonds is there for the 20/20 and will possibly get a gig in one of the leagues.

    I just think Symonds is high theatre. Fielding and batting. Can change the course of a game. He has the walk and the intimidation factor.He is a Ponting loyalist and the Punter will miss him.
    I answer to viney and vinay.
    Flintoff and KP both nursing injuries must be a worry seven weeks out from Cardiff.

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