Comments on: Ashes back; will Warne be?

By: Chris Corrigan

Chris Corrigan — Thu, 15 Sep 2005 21:43:16 +0000

Re: the sportsmanship. I agree.

Except that Pietersen…he’s an arrogant bastard. And boy did he pick a good time for a debut century.

[Aus provocation]And Harmison bowled like the Aussies used to[/Aus provocation]. High and hard, and picking up a warning in the process.

It’s what I call “leather sledging.”

By: gnat

gnat — Wed, 14 Sep 2005 09:42:12 +0000

Joyless Teetotal Puritan that I am, I thought Flintoff’s somewhat fatigued/relaxed demeanour was entirely appropriate, and pretty much the greatest and most positive display of public drunkenness I’ve ever witnessed. As far as I’m concerned, if you win the Ashes, you can hurl on my shoes and wee against my front door singing “You all live in a Convict Col-on-y”.

The Guardian’s telly critic wrote something along the lines of “there are some thing so bad as to be unmissable, and now we’ve found something so good as to almost unwatchable”. True dat. If there’s going to be a better test series, I won’t be able to watch more than a minute at a time.

By: Chris

Chris — Wed, 14 Sep 2005 03:20:39 +0000

Simstim – only decided in the penultimate session?

At tea, England were 227 runs ahead, with over 40 overs available (I think). If they had been all out immediately after tea (and lets face it, losing the last three wickets in two overs was always possible), Australia would still have had an outside chance.

I don’t know about you, but at tea I was still very very nervous.

By: derrida derider

derrida derider — Wed, 14 Sep 2005 02:27:41 +0000

A pity he wasn’t plastered during the bloody game.

By: Harry B

Harry B — Wed, 14 Sep 2005 00:51:46 +0000

I saw the pictures on the BBC website today, and, yes, Flintoff looks plastered. Good to know he’s not perfect.

By: dsquared

dsquared — Tue, 13 Sep 2005 22:47:05 +0000

I went down to Traf square to see the bus and Flintoff was sooooo drunk. Vaughan was standing next to him with that kind of all-fun-but-wary expression that you always see on the “responsible one” of any bunch of lads during those moments when the “big one” is in his cups and waving a champagne bottle about. You could practically hear him saying “come on andrew give me that it’s dangerous it’s made of glass nobody wants to spoil the big day”

By: Simstim

Simstim — Tue, 13 Sep 2005 13:51:07 +0000

Well, there’s still room for improvement in the “Best Series Ever” stakes: it was only decided in the penultimate session of the last day and what was the point of either Bell or Martyn? Interesting, though, that it seemed to be a bowler’s game.

By: des von bladet

des von bladet — Tue, 13 Sep 2005 12:09:10 +0000

Ah, thanks Chris and Yabonn – I didn’t check the Schweiss as such. I’m surprised Google News doesn’t check Libération properly, though.

By: yabonn

yabonn — Tue, 13 Sep 2005 11:51:46 +0000

des :

Le Monde has one article for sale online, i remember another (i think) in the paper edition.

By: Chris Bertram

Chris Bertram — Tue, 13 Sep 2005 11:49:37 +0000

Come on Des … the Swiss are onto it:

England ist im sportlichen Himmel, nachdem die Cricket-Nationalmannschaft am Montag erstmals seit 18 Jahren gegen Australien die «Ashes» gewonnen hat.

And Liberation has the Ashes as contributing to the neglect of Northern Ireland:

“Le problème, c’est qu’à Londres, on s’apprête à célébrer la victoire anglaise aux Ashes contre les Australiens (le grand trophée du cricket) et que tout le monde se fiche de ce qui se passe ici.”:http://www.liberation.fr/page.php?Article=323330

By: otto

otto — Tue, 13 Sep 2005 11:16:15 +0000

I think the crowds mixed respect for the Australians with a large dose of humourous mockery.

e.g.

[To the tune of ‘Yellow Submarine’].

In the town where I was born, there lived a man who was a thief
And he told me of his life, stealing bread and shagging sheep.
So they put him in the nick, and then a magistrate he went to see
He said “put him on a ship, to the convict colony”
You all live in a convict colony, a convict colony, a convict colony
You all live in a convict colony, a convict colony, a convict colony

Some of the rest of the Barmy Army’s ditty’s can be seen here. http://www.barmyarmy.com/cricket/songs.asp

By: des von bladet

des von bladet — Tue, 13 Sep 2005 11:09:15 +0000

Has anyone seen any coverage in Foreign? I haven't found a peep from the French, Belgians (either flavour), Dutch, Suisse, Germans or Zwedish, just this slightly baffled Norwegish effort.

By: Eleanor

Eleanor — Tue, 13 Sep 2005 11:00:25 +0000

Agree that Waugh’s almost parodically hard and unified team wouldn’t have behaved this way.* Don’t think that’s why this lot lost; I think they lost because they’re just not as good (as either us now, or the Aussie squad of, say, 2001).

*On the other hand, how often did Waugh’s squad face an opposition that demanded their respect? One of the (many, many) things I have enjoyed about this series has been the mutual respect on show, both between teams and from the crowds, and that’s something that has to be earned.

By: yabonn

yabonn — Tue, 13 Sep 2005 08:20:36 +0000

Yea, enough with all the giggling! This is a blog after all!

By: derrida derider

derrida derider — Tue, 13 Sep 2005 05:24:19 +0000

Yep, it’s like a throwback to the 60s – Hayden making a point of walking up to Flintoff after being dismissed to say “well bowled”, fielders applauding good shots, etc.

Its un-Australian. I was always taught that you can and should be good mates with the opposition before and after the match but that while you’re in the field they are the enemy, to be treated as such. Especially if they’re poms. No wonder we lost – great captains like Steve Waugh or Ian Chappell would never have allowed this.

Anybody would think it’s just a game.