By Freddie Nathan
The first, and probably most obvious thing to say in this Ashes review, is just how magnificent the England class of 2010/2011 were in victory. Their performances speak for themselves, both individually to a man, and more crucially, as a team. The records and statistics back up these sentiments. First time winning the Ashes down under for 24 years since the days of the greats Botham, Gatting and Gower, and the first team ever to humiliate Australia with three innings defeats in the series. So who are the winners and losers in the aftermath of this momentous series?
The natural place to start is with the entire England team effort. All of the players, even those who did not feature such as Eoin Morgan and Monty Panesar are winners, as are the coaching and backroom staff. England were faced with their share of crises, two moments especially, on the third evening in Brisbane when it looked like they would lose the first Test, and then in Perth, where they were heavily beaten. So it was a huge achievement to overcome those, saving the first test and reacting so well after the thrashing they received.
Right throughout the team, the fundamentals were executed superbly for the vast majority of the series: brilliant technique and concentration in the batting, great group application in the field, taking their catches and succeeding in run-outs, a marked contrast to their opponents. As for the bowling performance, the low scores which the Aussies were skittled out for tell its own story. And there was just a fantastic harmony in the tourists’ camp, rallying round Andy Flower when he had his cancer scare, and seamlessly welcoming the relative newcomers of Tremlett and Bresnan into the side. Compare this to the Australians with the pressure on the captain Ricky Ponting, the anger of Mitchell Johnson and the vitriol of the media on their backs.
The Australians cannot take many positives from their showing. Brad Haddin staked his claim to be behind the stumps for the next few years, but their performance was nothing short of abject, from a purely cricketing point of you. However, like other teams including England have had to do in the past, they will need to take this thrashing as a sign that things need a radical change from top to bottom of Australian cricket. As the heroes of the past decade gradually retire, their replacements are simply not up to the previous standard. Glimpses of promise, such as Usman Khawaja are few and far between. Tim Neilsen, the coach and Andrew Hilditch, the chief selector, seems on borrowed time, yet it cannot be him that bears the brunt of the failure, which extends far down into the roots of Australian cricket.
Individually, the biggest success story has to be Alistair Cook. Much maligned before the start of the tour, his place even in doubt in some quarters, his magnificent haul of 766 runs surprised and impressed everyone in equal measure. Question marks over his technique, such as his lack of footwork and wonky back lift were erased as he scored century after century, while ably fulfilling his role as vice-captain. Closely behind “Chef” for player of the series was Jimmy Anderson, his 24 wickets in the series the best showing by an Englishman since the fifties. When he got the ball to swing, reverse or orthodox, in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney, England won all three tests; no coincidence. As the leader of the pace attack, ably assisted by the likes of Broad, Tremlett, Finn and Bresnan, he performed wonderfully, getting under the skin of the batsmen with his pace and aggression. Andrew Strauss, along with Andy Flower, meticulously planned fields and bowling changes to great effect, always keeping Australia on their toes. And while I could go on and on, a final word for Paul Collingwood. By no means a great technician with the bat, and solid if unspectacular with the ball in hand, he will probably not go down in test match history as a “great”. However, as a leader when called upon, as the heart and soul of the dressing room, as one of finest fielders in England, if not the world, as well as some dogged and memorable innings such as the double hundred against Australia in 2006 on an otherwise miserable tour, he will be remembered as one of England’s true team players now he has retired from the long form. Let’s hope he will have continued success in limited overs form, especially as 20-20 captain in the future.
Briefly from the Australian point of view, Ponting had a stinker of a series and is the only Aussie captain to have lost three Ashes series, an ignominious statistic to his name. The media and supporter pressure got to him as he had arguments during and in between the tests, while his batting form and captaincy prowess was poor. He will surely step down, to be replaced in all probability by Michael Clarke, who also has question marks over his ability to lead the team. Haddin’s glovemanship and batting was admirable as was Shane Watson’s showings as opener (despite not being able to convert the half centuries into tons), which were impressive, and he has carried his form into the one-dayers currently being played. However, plaudits are few and far between, Australia lacking in seemingly all departments, crying out especially for a middle order to accompany the imperious Mike Hussey, and a spinner. Australian cricket has a lot of issues to resolve in the next few years.
Finally, the England support was simply magnificent. Seeing the thousands upon thousands of Barmy Army singing, dancing, drinking and bugling was a sight to behold. While cynics will point to the fact we are in dire financial climes, the money spent by mad Englishmen to travel to the other side of the world to cheer on our national cricket team is magnificent and a testament to the state of the game as it stands in the UK today.
This series brought out the best in England and the worst in Australia, and will go down in cricketing folklore as one of the most historic and memorable test series contested for that little urn. Next time you’re on the revolving dancefloor in Reflex, make sure to do a sprinkler in honour of the heroes of 2010/2011.