There was never live television coverage of England's winter tours last time we won The Ashes in Australia. We were reduced to evening highlight shows or the rich descriptions and humour of Test Match Special, dozing in and out through the night. And since Sky came along and started covering the tours the Australian cricketers have been had one of the great runs in sport, 24 years of dining at the top table in world cricket. The legacy of Allan Border's work from 1987 to 1994 meant they dominated Test and one day cricket in a manner not seen since the West Indies of Richards and Lloyd. They has some of the all time greats in that team, Border himself, Taylor, both Waugh twins, Langer, Hayden, Gilchrist, McGrath, Warne... and Ricky Ponting. The Australian dominance reached an apotheosis in 2006/07 as they avenged the narrow, thrilling defeat of England 2005 with a 5-0 pasting, Flintoff's tears in Adelaide being the dominant image along with the grins of McGrath and Warne. Crucially though, that pair of bowlers, both on a list of the best to play the game, retired after the final Test of that series.
The home series of 2009 gave England an indication of how far Australia had fallen. None of the bowlers had experience of English conditions, and of the members of the side which had dominated cricket for the first years of the 21st century only Ponting remained, and even then doubts persisted about his captaincy. In Cardiff they utterly dominated the game, piling up over six hundred with four batsmen making centuries. Having England on the ropes, they couldn't land a knockout blow, and astonishingly tense last day boiling down to one of the great rearguard innings from Paul Collingwood and two of the most derided lower order batsmen, Jimmy Anderson and Monty Panesar, keeping Australia at bay for 69 balls. It seemed like an eternity to those of us in the ground, and then England held on with just one wicket standing between them and defeat it felt like a great victory. Flintoff's Herculean effort whilst half fit at Lords put them ahead, and after Australia won at Headingley England forced a victory in the Fifth Test at The Oval to take The Ashes back. England were clearly a better side than they had been in 2006, but were far from the finished article. More importantly the Australians often looked impotent, visibly removed from the juggernauts they'd been for ten years.
Despite the indications of one team rising and one declining, England cricket supporters almost didn't dare to hope. We'd had our hopes dashed too many times. And the first few days at The Gabba almsot killed our hopes before we began. Strauss fell in the first over and Peter Siddle took a hat trick before Michael Hussey and Brad Haddin forge a partnership of well over 300. All anyone hoped for was the avoidance of an innings defeat. What followed was series turning. England piled up 517-1, their highest ever score for the loss of only one wicket. Alistair Cook, after a 50 in the first innings began one of the most dominant series ever seen by an English batsman with an unbeaten 235, only the first of the records he'd eventually break and Trott simply refused to give his wicket away with a ton of his own. Ponting's quick fifty would end up being the highlight of a wretched series with the bat. Australia responded to the lack of wickets by chopping and changing their bowling attack for the Second Test, England responded by reducing the Australians to 2/3 and, despite Hussey's best efforts, a double century from Kevin Pietersen led England to an innings victory. Flintoff's tears were long dry.
Australia struck back in Perth, the ever unpredictable Mitchell Johnson turning into a demon on his home ground, hitting 62 and then running through England twice to level the series. It was a blip though, Australia overreliant on individuals, only two of whom consistently delivered. England's team effort meant they overwhelmed the Australians again by an innings in Melbourne. In a series of lows, Australia's first innings 98 was surely their nadir - well, until Strauss and Cook breezed past 150. And when Jonathan Trott delivered another undefeated 'daddy hundred' the victory was only a matter of time, Australia being nowhere near as mentally strong as England. The Ashes were retained, England's best series result series for 24 years guaranteed. Ponting's poor series was ended early, a broken finger keeping him out of the final Test.
It was never in question. Jimmy Anderson, producing the best series by an English bowler in Australia for over 50 years, led the attack beautifully which first contained the Australian batsmen. All the seamers chipped in with wickets, the much hyped Swann reduced to a containment role by unhelpful wickets. Alistair Cook then shattered the English record for time spent at the crease in a series in racking up another 189, averaging a Bradmanesque 127 in finishing a series with the second most runs ever in one series by an Englishman. Further centuries from Bell and Prior meant England capped the series off with their highest ever innings score in Australia, 644. 364 runs were needed to avoid near total humiliation.
They were never near it of course. Despite a dash after losing seven wickets the previous evening the only thing that could stop England was the rain. All those who were at the ground, all those watching at home were there for a coronation. It was delayed briefly by rain, then by Peter Siddle and Steve Smith. Hilfenhaus and Beer, both natural No 11s, couldn't keep anyone out for long. Chris Tremlett split Beer's stumps to end the series and for once, the thousands crying at 1 am weren't tired and emotional, just celebrating the end of a 24 year nightmare. And we celebrated the end of Paul Collingwood's Test career. He'd failed with the bat, but been his usual fine self in the field and nipped out a crucial wicket with what would prove to be his last ball in Test cricket. The consummate team player as ever, he spoke eloquently about going out on a high, despite the personal failures. Test Match Special's Jonathan 'Aggers' Agnew was captured doing the celebratory sprinkler dance and no doubt even Sir Geoffrey cracked a genuine grin - how could even cricket's most demanding curmudgeon not love the first ever time Australia lost three Test matches in one series by an innings?
It won't ever go down as one of the greatest days of Test cricket, the result already all but determined. But England provided the climax their efforts almost demanded, not just squeezing home by the odd Test but adding a decisive gloss. It's here for the moment at 12:54 UK time when Tremlett shattered Mitchell Beer's stumps and thousands of hardened cricketing fans, used to humiliation, wept. It's there for a moment of pure, unadulterated sporting joy, an absolute hammering handed out to a foe who'd had the upper hand for so long. We didn't just retain the Ashes, we didn't allow the Australians even a glimpse of them. It was simple magnificence, and the best thing of all? This England side look as if they're just getting started. Beating Australia isn't the pinnacle any more, sustained quality performances are, no matter the opposition. It's not just a resounding victory for cricket fans to talk about into their dotage, it's a promise of a bright future.
They're staying home, they're staying home, they're staying... Ashes staying home..
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