Different coloured ball, same old nonsense. The 2017-18 Ashes may have witnessed less than a week of cricket but when it comes to behaviour, the latest battle for the little urn is already shaping up as a race to the bottom.
The opening day in Adelaide, where a record-breaking 55,317 spectators flocked through the turnstiles for the first day-night men’s Test between Australia and England, should have been a celebration of the oldest rivalry in cricket getting a fresh twist under lights. Instead, it was a case of rinse and repeat from the back end of the Gabba Test and the fallout caused by the head-butt saga. The umpire, Aleem Dar, a passive soul, twice stepped in to remind the players that there are certain standards to be upheld and that the Rugby League World Cup final between the two countries was being staged 1,200 miles away.
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