Ashes...

In 1882, a satirical obituary appeared in The Sporting Times, a British newspaper. It happened after a cricket match at The Oval, London, where Australia beat England at home for the first time. The obituary stated that English cricket had died, and the body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia. The English media dubbed the next English tour to Australia as a quest to regain "The Ashes". 

Everyone knows this... after today morning, it just might be stated that Australian Cricket is dead and those ashes are now firmly with England. By the way its going, Australian cricket seems to be lost. They do not have a captain, they do not have 6 batsmen... ofcourse, Spinners were, anyway, not found since a certain Shane Warne retired four years ago. 

When a mighty fall, the rest of the cricket world can rejoice and many of them would be looking at a prospect of touring Australia and returning victorious rather than 'the vanquished' as was the case for a long time. I don't know whether it will go the way West Indies cricket went, but for the near future Australia is not seeing light at the end of a dark tunnel. One can never say, with Australia though... 

I am not a great fan of English cricket. but, this series, I enjoyed watching them go about the process of really beating Australia and letting them know it verbally and also in the press and commentary. They have been taking a beating for such a long time, that when it came as a chance to give it back, they gave it back with high spirits. This team looks good, there are some nice players and most of them young. 

 

All over the world, Cricket, I feel, is losing the charm... there are very few natural cricketers coming out of the ranks. The academy system all over is taking a toll and making cricket too sophisticated and controlled to really get the charm. The last of the Mohicans are probabaly - Lakshman, Tendulkar and to some extent Dravid. After this, at this moment, there is no one, whom I, personally, would want to pay and watch. Brain Lara was the last one where I really spent a lot of time, losing my sleep, watching and many a times really feeling sad that he didn't go on and bat longer. 

for the moment... let the world take happiness in Australia bashing.