England’s success or failure on day five at the Oval serves as a referendum on the wider story of the Ashes summerThere was once a dream that was Bazball. You could only whisper it. Anything more than a whisper and it would vanish. And one way or another, it was always coming down to this.By the time play was abandoned in the afternoon mulch, with Australia on 135-0 in their fourth‑innings chase, the sense of creeping jeopardy could hardly have been greater. Roll on Monday, final staging point in this five‑Test ride. One day left to save the English Ashes summer; and to save a few other things too. Continue reading...
England quick wanted one last shot at Australia so he created a new delivery and got inside David Warner’s head for all timeStuart Broad came into this Ashes armed with 582 Test wickets, a burning desire to stick it to the Australians one last time, just enough bluster to disguise the fact that these days he bowls an 80mph bouncer, and a bandana. You mustn’t forget the bandana. It was a lockdown thing. Other people came out of those months with a breadmaker and a repertoire of sourdough-loaf recipes, a newfound appreciation for their children’s primary school teachers, or any one of a number of debilitating social complexes, but Broad emerged from them with the inspiration for his latest character,...
Tourists pay dearly for belief that if they bowled their normal stuff, a normal England innings would followAs the 2023 Ashes moved to within two days of its scheduled close, there was no escaping the reality for Australia that it was happening again. That feeling of being slapped around the chops, too dazed to get the thread of what to do next. England with the bat running the game in their own way, setting the terms that Australia had to respond to. This, above all, has been the idea behind Bazball: not all about hitting sixes or bowling bouncers, but making opponents react rather than act.It was there on the first day of the series at Edgbaston, when England made...
Orgy of drives, cuts and clips, pulls, ramps and sweeps added up to hosts’ best batting of this Ashes seriesThe season’s turned full circle. Eight weeks ago, Australia were here for their press day before the World Test Championship final against India. We asked Mitchell Starc what he had made of England’s aggressive play over the last year, and whether he believed they would really be able to bat like that against Australia’s attack. Starc was too smart to fall into that trap, and said, instead: “I guess we’ll find out over the next six weeks”.His grin said everything about what he was really thinking. Fat chance. A 90mph inswinging yorker does wonders for a man’s confidence, not to mention...
In batting like he always does – and always will – the England opener joins greats of the modern-age after Ashes displayEven Zak Crawley’s farewell edge, the final act of his own sublime, genre-defying, really quite confusing Ashes series, was a lovely thing. Some people are just great edgers. Michael Vaughan’s edges always seemed to fly, elbow high, dreamy timing, with a lovely crisp clear woody sound.Crawley was on 73 at the time. Pat Cummings was bowling the second over after lunch. The ball was not quite there for the drive, but on the other hand very much there for the drive because, well, Crawley, feelings, moments, team energy. Continue reading...