The Lords aftermath
Vindicated.
That’s my first reaction. As I witnessed the last 3 days unfold before me at Lords,I couldn’t help but display a smug smirk of satisfaction.
Paul Allot & the entire British Media who were so vociferous in their pre- Ashes predictions of Australian doom must feel like proper fools.
I had said in this very space a month ago that the question of the Ashes summer was not whether “
To all those unbelievers I only offer a smug smirk of satisfaction with the advice that…guys honestly…what else did you expect? If
Enjoy the rest of the Ashes. I certainly intend to.
posted by Abs @ 7/25/2005 01:32:00 PM
2 comments
2 Comments:
"Vaughan Again Losers" was the headline on the pack page of The Sun tabloid after England captain Michael Vaughan's men succumbed meekly to a devastating display of fast bowling by Glenn McGrath and the spin of Shane Warne.
Man-of-the-match McGrath finished with 4-29 and match figures of 9-82 as Australia wrapped up the game in just 50 minutes' play overnight to take a 1-0 lead in the five-Test series.
"The last thing England's cricket bosses should do now is panic. No, they can do that the week after next when the Aussies take a 2-0 series lead at Edgbaston," The Sun's chief sports writer Steven Howard wrote.
"This scenario is looking almost inevitable given the huge gap in class between the two sides."
Many pundits openly ate their pre-match words about the advancing age of 30-somethings McGrath and Warne, noting that both looked as good as ever.
"Laid to rest here yesterday (ashes to ashes) were all the delusions of early summer. McGrath may be 35, and Warne's private life may resemble that of a dissolute rock star, but these are not the over-the-hillbillies of English myth," wrote Paul Hayward in the Daily Telegraph.
"The ruthless suppression of English cricket in the opening Ashes Test by two of the game's great bowlers is brutally familiar and unlikely to be overtaken by fashion or events before Australia can be shoved back on the plane."
But it was not all about McGrath and Warne. The England team's dismal fielding, with seven dropped catches, and the vulnerability of its relatively inexperienced middle order were also matters of much consternation.
"England's game fell apart. Their fielding became abject, the batsmen surrendered and the body language spoke of a beaten team. All the things Vaughan had insisted must not happen did happen," wrote Colin Bateman in the Daily Express.
simmer down, ol chap.
I, for one, never thought that England will win the Ashes- most of the hype anyway was that they have a better chance than most England teams in the last decade and a half- which, of course, is not saying much.
Your 'genius' statement was not scorned, merely disagreed with. Even if Clarke is the next best thing since sliced bread (an dI really like the chap, so dont get me wrong), it does not call for him to be classified as a genius, thank you. That's a special word. For special people.
Of course Australia is the best- who the heck disagrees with that?!:) I just want a good fight on me hands this summer- so that there's good cricke to watch
Post a Comment
<< Home