My highlights from The Ashes. I sent this to a few friends back home.
1. There were four runouts I think, three of which involved Watson. He must not be very bright. Diamond duck for Katich. 2. I enjoyed seeing Clarke get out in the final innings and shout "F*** off" in front of the England players. Couldn't hide his despair. 3. Johnson getting knocked for 20 off one over by the 10/11th wicket partnership 4. Barmy Army singing "He bowls to the left, he bowls to the right, that Mitchell Johnson, his bowling is s**te" to the tune of Sloop John B. He would have had that for 100+ hours by the end. The Barmy Army crushed Australia's biggest threat. 5. I enjoyed us sitting next to a bloke at the SCG and gradually start winding him up by talking amongst ourselves about the parlous state of Australian cricket. The icing on the cake was when his four or five year old son said "Dad are Australia going to lose the game?" and his dad said irritably "Let them have the Ashes, their economy is f***ed they've got to have something." It had really got to him. 6. Was in the pub for the fourth day and after a round of "Your next queen in Camilla Parker Bowles" and other songs, an Aussie came over to start arguing with me. 7. The Vodafone add finally getting pulled where Ponting is playing blindfold to "give the poms a chance" 8. Favourite commentary moment: "Johnson walks down the pitch and thinks about saying something but then realises that the scoreboard won't back him up". 9. Ponting losing his rag with the umpire. Apparently Pietersen told him he'd hit it to wind him up. 10. The loss in Perth actually made this better because it gave them some hope. Everyone had conceded after Adelaide but then they were up for it thinking it was going to be the usual fight back. 11. Ponting saying "there is absolutely no reason why we couldn't win it 5-0." before the series started. 12. Catches that turned out to be no balls. Beer's one at the SCG was followed by a chorus of "Always step on the right side of the line" to the tune of "Always look on the bright side of life". Cook was on 46 and went on to make almost 200. Beer had played just five first class matches before being picked, and a no ball is frankly unforgivable on someone that takes four steps to the crease. 13. Ponting’s adverts for Swisse vitamins. Frankly if they make you look like him then I'm not interested. 14. Likewise if they make you bat with an average of 15. 15. The Aussie selectors saying when it was all over that they had "done a good job" but refusing to answer a journalist's request to give examples of which decisions were good. 16. Ponting in the dressing room with the team on the first day of the fifth test. I envisage it was like the episode of The Office where they have Rowan in to do the training and David is talking over him. 17. Botham calling Phil Hughes a cheat, and having a brawl with Chappel in the car park. 18. Being able to take Broad and Finn out of the side and still being excellent. 19. Finally having a gloveman who is a mouthy little sh#t, nibbling away at them from behind the wicket AND can score runs quickly. 20. Observing that the Aussies barely ever congratulated England players on getting 50s or 100s. Poor sportsmanship and what bad losers it shows them to be. In contrast the Barmy Army made a real effort to wear pink to support the Jane McGrath Foundation on day 3. 21. That Boxing Day morning in Melbourne. The holiest of holies in world cricket. They had just won in Perth and then got skittled for 98 from ten catches behind the wicket. It was incredible. We had been used to early wickets falling but they just kept coming. Mind you, it was a bowlers paradise. That's why we knocked 513 in reply. -- Boo! Thick Mick Out!
