Are we up for the Ashes?

 Are we up for the Ashes?

So here we are up to our neck in political ferment, pointless arguments, damage limitation, protestations of innocence, a refusal to accept the inevitable and a stubborn insistence that nothing happened. Honestly. Or maybe we were just economical with the truth and just forgot about the important values, the acts of morality, standards to be maintained. And it just got caught up in the tangled circuitry so what does Britain do next? 

A couple of days ago England renewed that traditional sporting acquaintance with the Ashes and everything that normally comes with that familiar territory. Now in the general scheme of things cricketing aficionados in both England and Australia would have regarded such an event as one of the most eagerly awaited tribal contests sport may ever offer. We'd all be licking our lips in anticipation at another sustained spell of sledging, hating each other's guts, sending poisonous pen letters to both dressing rooms and then we'd be amazed there was little in the way of any kind of respect.

Australian domination has already been asserted and it looks as if England are going to face another taxing, gruelling and punishing schedule in the heat of another Australian summer. This was never to going to be a picnic in the first place but the food and drink may be even more unpalatable than ever before. It is hard to gauge the mood of the English camp at the moment but the appetites have been blunted by the formidable task in front of them The mixed feelings though of the Barmy Army England supporters who faithfully fly to the other side of the world can only be imagined. 

On the one hand they'll obviously be delighted to be in Australia since following the English cricket team is more or less the exotic holiday they've always been planning for ages. Their travel plans may have been disrupted by the coronavirus lock down last year but they remain undaunted. For this Ashes contest though the torments and doubts that may have gnawed at them recently can't be underestimated. This was supposed to be an England- Australia good, old fashioned confrontation of old rivals, friends or just temporary enemies until such time as the Poms willingly pay for the first round of lagers in the bar. 

It's hard to believe that this Ashes dust up marks the 40th anniversary of the celebrated series of 1981 when Ian Botham, a fearsome and ferocious batsman and brilliant bowler spun the whole series on its head. For quite a while it looked as if the Aussies were just cruising towards a series victory and the retention of the Ashes. Then something happened, unexpectedly and miraculously. Botham single- handedly wrecked and ransacked the Australian batting fortress, bulldozed  through the Australian batting order like a lorry of Foster's lager and showed all the savagery of a man possessed. 

At Headingley the raging bull who was Botham faced the Aussies with a look of fury and unashamed anger in his rapidly reddening and impassioned face. Botham loathed the Australians with an obvious contempt that could never be concealed for a single minute. He pounded down the Headingley pitch in the pivotal Test match of all Test Matches rather like a man who had just been told that he was about to be convicted of a crime that had clearly been a case of mistaken identity. Sweat pouring from his head and staining a soaking wet white England shirt, Botham roared and exploded into action. 

In tandem with the late and great Bob Willis, Botham gobbled up the wickets, bowling with all the ferocity of a man who knew what he had to do and did it with some style. The wickets came thick and fast and suddenly a seemingly beaten England were transformed overnight. After teetering on the brink of collapse with three wickets remaining, Botham, led by the scientific mind of captain Mike Brearley and the strategic batting genius of one Geoffrey Boycott, completely turned things around.

There were times when Boycott must have wondered what all the fuss was about. The proud Yorkshire man was in mood to compromise over anything. He settled down on his hometown club's crease like a man who was still hungry after breakfast. The head was adjusted, gentle tapping into the ground was administered and then Boycott carefully designed his innings while always doing everything at his own leisurely pace. He was not about to be hurried because Geoff Boycott always liked to take his time over everything. He was patient and methodical, nudging, flicking casually for ones, twos and threes, prodding the ball to deep mid wicket, around the corners, sweeping the ball handsomely for four, then hooking when the opportunity arose. 

It was often said of Boycott that he took far too long to build his runs and compose his half centuries but a century was something to be moulded and carved with punctilious attention to detail. So what if took you the best part of six or seven hours to reach your intended target. Cricket is indeed an art form, something to be admired and highly respected. So who were we to be judge and jury on the batting prowess of Geoff Boycott? Any argument with Boycott is invariably lost and how the Aussies paid the price.

And now we have the Ashes class of 2021. Although England are still cricketing world champions the Ashes is another matter entirely. In England a couple of years ago, the Australians had completed a smash and grab act, regaining the Ashes on English soil. With Joe Root as England's very progressive captain, Ben Stokes full of fire, vim, verve and vitality as England's leading quickie bowler, Dawid Malan hoping for yet another resurgence of form and Moeen Ali looking to spin the Aussies into submission, this could yet be an Ashes series to remember. But we all know what the Australians are like in their own backyard. This could be a long and difficult Ashes. Take your seats Ladies and Gentlemen.