[Cricket] Remembering the Ashes 2005

[Simster]

When again there was that horrible grinding feeling that we were going to blow it, only to pull it out of the bag at the death.

On the other hand, the test at Adelaide in 2007 was the opposite. I had never been genuinely angry at a cricket result until that one. For context, we had been spanked in Brisbane, but in the second test we made 580ish for 6 declared. How the hell do you lose a cricket match from there? Well I'll tell you - you allow the Aussies to make 550 themselves and then fold like a pack of cards on day 5. Truly awful.

The ghost of that match in my mind was finally laid to rest last summer when Ben Stokes won us a match we had no right to win.

 

[Garry Nelson's teacher]

Just checked the averages. Warne took 40 wickets @19.92 and finished up on the losing side!

 

[Glawstergull]

I went to the Saturday of the Trent Bridge match. Was absolutely gripping viewing and a fantastic day out on the lash.

Only got tickets because my dad’s other half didn’t check dates with him for their holidays. Oh how we laughed....

Saw Flintoff reach his 100 and England post 477 before reducing Australia to 99-5 at the close. Marvellous.

I too went to that days play. You knew that history was in the making. I managed to buy hospitality from a guy on ebay the night before for a bargain, and would love to have seen the match's conclusion.

Ever since I have always fancied watching an entire test from start to finish at the ground.

 

[Simster]

I have the DVD set and have watched it many times.

This!

 

[Simster]

Not what I can see. My son's cricket team is in a league that has lost half its members over the past few years. And cricket in state schools is a very rare beast indeed.

That's mirrored across the age groups - according to Sport England, the number of people playing cricket in England fell by about 20% between 2016 and 2019 (and that was after a fall of about 30% since the post-Ashes peak).

I agree with this. Even if state schools don't have the resources to play cricket regularly, the ECB should still have thought about exposure so as to encourage those kids to join local cricket clubs. It is perfectly simple, sell home test match series to the highest terrestrial bidder and let the subscription channels fight over the series that are played away from home. Cricket will end up dying on its arse the way things are going.

 

[Garry Nelson's teacher]

Looking at the averages for the series, this is a reasonable combined team:

Trescothick
Langer
Strauss
Ponting
KP
Freddie
Jones (G) or Glichrist - little to choose
Warne
Lee
Jones (S)
McGrath

 

[dangull]

With hindsight, the key moment was McGrath getting injured spraining his ankle in a warm up before I think the 2nd test? He had destroyed the English batting in the 1st test, and may have helped England get back in the series in the 2nd test.

 

[Eeyore]

My funniest memory was the final Test.

I was in Weston-Super-Mare with my then partner who accused me of wanting to go the match, that being the only reason we were there.

I was rather confused saying the match was a long way from Somerset.

'No it's not', came the reply, 'you said it was at Yeovil'

 

[Jimmy Grimble]

Not what I can see. My son's cricket team is in a league that has lost half its members over the past few years. And cricket in state schools is a very rare beast indeed.

That's mirrored across the age groups - according to Sport England, the number of people playing cricket in England fell by about 20% between 2016 and 2019 (and that was after a fall of about 30% since the post-Ashes peak).

Maybe I should have said since 2005.

The cricket programmes offered to schools back then were non-existent. They are quite prevalent in primary schools now. Certainly in Sussex anyway.

 

[Stumpy Tim]

On the other hand, the test at Adelaide in 2007 was the opposite. I had never been genuinely angry at a cricket result until that one. For context, we had been spanked in Brisbane, but in the second test we made 580ish for 6 declared. How the hell do you lose a cricket match from there? Well I'll tell you - you allow the Aussies to make 550 themselves and then fold like a pack of cards on day 5. Truly awful.

I was there

 

[dazzer6666]

I remember 'popping out for a few minutes' mid afternoon to Reuters Plaza in Canary Wharf where it was being shown on the big screen (which is helpfully surrounded by bars) some time before tea...................KP was in the 80s I think at the time (sure he got to 100 before tea). Stayed there until it finished..........

Similarly, we were on holiday at a family all-inclusive type place in Majorca for the Edgbaston test. The 'TV room' was the 'Ashes room' .....when Harmy had Kasprowicz caught behind there was beer everywhere.

 

[jakarta]

Just checked the averages. Warne took 40 wickets @19.92 and finished up on the losing side!

Last couple of matches it was pretty well England vs. Shane Warne. Don't like the man but the best spin bowler in the History of Cricket.

 

[jakarta]

This!

Moi aussi, A wonderful feeling watching England trudge off on the final day at Lord's knowing that is the the LAST time the Aussies will have any Joy for the rest of the Summer and that they are going to lose the Series...

 

[blue-shifted]

With hindsight, the key moment was McGrath getting injured spraining his ankle in a warm up before I think the 2nd test? He had destroyed the English batting in the 1st test, and may have helped England get back in the series in the 2nd test.

You could probably have been less equivocal than that.

The psychological boost of not having to face McGrath was massive.

If he'd played and we were 80-4 after the first session, we could have been heading for another whitewash.

This moment he trod on the ball marked one of the single biggest momentum changes in the history of sport.

 

[Gwylan]

I agree with this. Even if state schools don't have the resources to play cricket regularly, the ECB should still have thought about exposure so as to encourage those kids to join local cricket clubs. It is perfectly simple, sell home test match series to the highest terrestrial bidder and let the subscription channels fight over the series that are played away from home. Cricket will end up dying on its arse the way things are going.

Yes. I still think it's the most misguided action by any sporting board in my lifetime and god knows, we've had to put up with nonsense from FIFA in that time.

Maybe I should have said since 2005.

The cricket programmes offered to schools back then were non-existent. They are quite prevalent in primary schools now. Certainly in Sussex anyway.

Don't get me started on this. Yes, there have been massive initiatives in primary school - notably Chance to Shine - BUT the clubs are barely involved and what happens when they leave primary school cricket? As Simster points out, provision in state schools is patchy (to say the least) and as clubs are kept out of the loop, where are they to go?

Our club is doing OK. We have massive participation at U9 and U10 level but that's not being replicated at every club. To be fair to Sussex, there's been a bit of a shake-up between clubs and county, so there's a better path to top-grade cricket but there's a need to involve schools too (we do have BACA - one of the best state schools for cricket in the country, if not the best). All too often, kids play cricket until they're 11 and then stop, that's something that needs to change.

 

[lawros left foot]

Before the series started, I thought we had a team to nearly match the Aussies, except in two players. Warne was , well, Warne, the best spinner ever and , arguably, the best bowler ever, and McGrath, the best quickie in the World at the time.
Apart from those two , the squads were pretty even, and I thought it would be tight , but, the Aussies would shade it.
Then, McGrath did his ankle in the warm up for the second test, and then had a problem with his elbow,that was the bit of luck England needed.

It shows how much of an influence on the series McGraph injuries were, the 2 games the convicts lost McGrath didn’t play.

 

[Jimmy Grimble]

Yes. I still think it's the most misguided action by any sporting board in my lifetime and god knows, we've had to put up with nonsense from FIFA in that time.



Don't get me started on this. Yes, there have been massive initiatives in primary school - notably Chance to Shine - BUT the clubs are barely involved and what happens when they leave primary school cricket? As Simster points out, provision in state schools is patchy (to say the least) and as clubs are kept out of the loop, where are they to go?

Our club is doing OK. We have massive participation at U9 and U10 level but that's not being replicated at every club. To be fair to Sussex, there's been a bit of a shake-up between clubs and county, so there's a better path to top-grade cricket but there's a need to involve schools too (we do have BACA - one of the best state schools for cricket in the country, if not the best). All too often, kids play cricket until they're 11 and then stop, that's something that needs to change.

I agree with you that beyond Primary age not enough is done. I do think a lot of that is down to children’s perception of the sport at different ages. From the ages 7-11 they invariably see it as fun, friendly and inclusive. Beyond 11 those three characteristics begin to fade, unless they have someone really driving them into the hardball side of the game - which as you point out, doesn’t happen enough at Secondary School.

 

[Gwylan]

I agree with you that beyond Primary age not enough is done. I do think a lot of that is down to children’s perception of the sport at different ages. From the ages 7-11 they invariably see it as fun, friendly and inclusive. Beyond 11 those three characteristics begin to fade, unless they have someone really driving them into the hardball side of the game - which as you point out, doesn’t happen enough at Secondary School.

Yes, I'm not knocking the efforts being made to get kids playing at a young age, it's just that there's nothing for the next stage - particularly when they move up to hardball.

Interestingly, we see something similar happening in rugby (I coach rugby as well) where we see a lot of interest and enjoyment in tag rugby that falls away when we start introducing contact - particularly with girls.

You'd expect a bit of a drop when you get to hardball cricket and contact rugby but IMO we have more kids dropping out than we should expect.

I'm not sure what the answer is - short of employing more coaches like me to go into schools - but there's a gap that cricket does need to address.

 

[Jimmy Grimble]

Yes, I'm not knocking the efforts being made to get kids playing at a young age, it's just that there's nothing for the next stage - particularly when they move up to hardball.

Interestingly, we see something similar happening in rugby (I coach rugby as well) where we see a lot of interest and enjoyment in tag rugby that falls away when we start introducing contact - particularly with girls.

You'd expect a bit of a drop when you get to hardball cricket and contact rugby but IMO we have more kids dropping out than we should expect.

I'm not sure what the answer is - short of employing more coaches like me to go into schools - but there's a gap that cricket does need to address.

Agreed.

Is it a fear element with moving into contact rugby? I often think it’s that with hardball cricket for some kids.

I also think teenage boys are not particularly keen on the time club cricket can take up, especially if they’re pursuing other sports at the same time.

 

[Gwylan]

Agreed.

Is it a fear element with moving into contact rugby? I often think it’s that with hardball cricket for some kids.

I also think teenage boys are not particularly keen on the time club cricket can take up, especially if they’re pursuing other sports at the same time.

There is a fear element - which is why you'd expect some level of drop off - but it's bigger than you'd expect (although it didn't happen in our club when we moved from softball to hardball but it happen when boys reached puberty - the fast bowlers were now considerably faster!)

Cricket at youth level doesn't take any much time than football - games start at 6.00 and finish about 8.00/8.15 generally.