Ashes to Ashes: My highlights

Almost as quickly as it started, it finished. England had a promising Day One, as the Australian batters threw wickets away on a first-class pitch, but after that it was all downhill. Here are my favourite (or at least, most interesting) moments.

Shhhhhh

Rarely has one cricketer copped so much abuse in the run-up to a series as Stuart Broad. Despite his appearance as a lanky, fair-faced schoolboy, Broad’s failure to walk last summer incensed the Aussie press, with one Brisbane paper refusing to publish his name. I imagine the report on the first innings, where Broad silenced his critics with 6 wickets, was fairly tricky to write.

Are You Talking To Me?

Michae Clarke said at the toss that he couldn’t wait for “all the talking to stop”; the Australians haven’t shut up since. George Bailey at short leg has been almost incessant, while Mitchell Johnson appears to be petitioning for Joe Root’s phone number and a nice seafood dinner, and the only thing more offensive that Dave Warner’s moustache is his chat. It’s been a while since we’ve seen Australia bare their teeth and play the school bully, but we’re starting to see it now.

The Ricky Ponting Spirit of Cricket Award

In the history of the game, few players played it as “competitively” as Ricky Ponting. In his honour, I will be choosing a player each test to receive the award in testament to their willingness to bend the rules to win. For the First Test, this goes to Matt Prior, who having middled the ball to short leg, stood aghast as the third umpire gave him out on review. What a good sport; born in Jo’burg don’t you know…

Sledge of the Test

As is always true in the Ashes, there has been a lot of chat around the bat. Bailey of course has been nattering but it’s rare that you hear a skipper chiming in with the aggressive chat. After Jimmy Anderson during England’s death throes complained to the umpires about the constant chat, Michael Clarke decided it would be a good moment to give Anderson a little bit of warning that Mitchell Johnson was about to give him a “broken f***ing arm”. How pleasant of him to give him the chance to prepare.

Tache of the Test

Being a Movember Test, we are spoilt for choice on this occasion. Probably not a conscious decision, but England haven’t bought into the spirit of things in the same way as the Aussies. Merv Hughes is of course the king of the tache in cricket, but no-one really matches up to him these days. Dave Warner has been sporting a fairly awful piece of lip-warming for months of the ilk that would get you on a register in the UK, but the award goes to the Man of the Match, Mitchell Johnson, for his bandito droop.

The tache in question – exemplary

Image courtesy of brightonsbigscreen.com and theaustralian.com.au