And so it begins tomorrow. The mother of all series - the Ashes. After that amazing end to a keenly contested series in the summer of 2005, the Ashes begin with their next series of battles between men who had become immortal just about 18 months ago. The hype to the buildup of the last Ashes had lived up and we were witness to an amazing piece of cricket in England, when the two best teams in the world (ranked 1 and 2 before the start of Ashes-2005) battled for supremacy over the small urn.
A series that had people flocked to TV sets (apart from the Lost series) and crcket grounds last summer had generated some magical moments, some brilliant displays of sportsmanship and amazing resolute in character from the players. That is responsible in more ways than one for the hype and hysteria among the cricket fans when this series gets underway.
Losing an Ashes series is a blot in Ricky Ponting's otherwise scintillating stint as a captian and he would make sure that it doesnt happen again. For most of the Aussie squad this could well be the last Ashes they play and they would do their best to end their Ashes careers on a high.
Flintoff and his men had pulled off an amazing feat when they won the Ashes after a gap of 18 years - an act that made them larger than life and generated public interest into cricket, which otherwise was losing its fan following in the English crowds. They arrive in Austrailia to defend it, with a much depleted squad as many of the heroes of the victorious last outing are missing. Simon Jones, who developed that reverse swing and caused a nemesis to most of the Aussie batsmen is down with injury. Ashley Giles who showed resolute character in his batting if not in his bowling is coming into the squad after a long lay-off, so he is expected to be a bit rusty and would need some time out there in the middle to hit the peak form. Micheal Vaughan the leader of the last troupe is out with injury and is hoping to return midway in the series. So it all boils down to Peterson, Harmisson, Hoggard and Flintoff to bear the brunt of the pressure and deliver career best performances - if they hope to retain the urn.
The last week has seen all kinds of permutations for the team selection. The Gabba where the series opens is traditionally a bouncy track. The Aussies have a great record on this ground and owing to the bouncy pitch the selectors were planning to fill in the Aussies squad with seamers. But as the line up suggests today its going to be McGrath, Lee, Shane and either of Clark or Johnson which takes to the ground tomorrow. Micheal Clarke, backed by many veteran cricketers found faith in the selectors and he starts tomorrow to add to the stomach of the Aussie batting line up. There have been much talk about the age of the Aussie squad, as most of the players are on the riper side of 30's. But Ponting has rubbished aside any concerns and going by the form of these so-called "aged" players, they are as young as ever.
England have their share of hiccups in the selections. They have brought in Jones to replace Read behind the stumps - a move that surprised many. They have yet to decide whom they pick up between Monty and Giles, but as Fletcher seems to have a soft corner for Ashley, it looks as Monty is going to miss out the tour opener.
All said and done we keep our fingers crossed for tomorrow when the captains go out in the middle to kick-off one of the most anticipated series. Ticket sales have been record-breaking, the media doesnt seem to get satiated with Ashes stories and the crowd is just waiting for some great action. I just hope the series just mirrors the last one, and I get to see some great skills from two of my favourite teams. So bring it on guys - let the action begin.
A series that had people flocked to TV sets (apart from the Lost series) and crcket grounds last summer had generated some magical moments, some brilliant displays of sportsmanship and amazing resolute in character from the players. That is responsible in more ways than one for the hype and hysteria among the cricket fans when this series gets underway.
Losing an Ashes series is a blot in Ricky Ponting's otherwise scintillating stint as a captian and he would make sure that it doesnt happen again. For most of the Aussie squad this could well be the last Ashes they play and they would do their best to end their Ashes careers on a high.
Flintoff and his men had pulled off an amazing feat when they won the Ashes after a gap of 18 years - an act that made them larger than life and generated public interest into cricket, which otherwise was losing its fan following in the English crowds. They arrive in Austrailia to defend it, with a much depleted squad as many of the heroes of the victorious last outing are missing. Simon Jones, who developed that reverse swing and caused a nemesis to most of the Aussie batsmen is down with injury. Ashley Giles who showed resolute character in his batting if not in his bowling is coming into the squad after a long lay-off, so he is expected to be a bit rusty and would need some time out there in the middle to hit the peak form. Micheal Vaughan the leader of the last troupe is out with injury and is hoping to return midway in the series. So it all boils down to Peterson, Harmisson, Hoggard and Flintoff to bear the brunt of the pressure and deliver career best performances - if they hope to retain the urn.
The last week has seen all kinds of permutations for the team selection. The Gabba where the series opens is traditionally a bouncy track. The Aussies have a great record on this ground and owing to the bouncy pitch the selectors were planning to fill in the Aussies squad with seamers. But as the line up suggests today its going to be McGrath, Lee, Shane and either of Clark or Johnson which takes to the ground tomorrow. Micheal Clarke, backed by many veteran cricketers found faith in the selectors and he starts tomorrow to add to the stomach of the Aussie batting line up. There have been much talk about the age of the Aussie squad, as most of the players are on the riper side of 30's. But Ponting has rubbished aside any concerns and going by the form of these so-called "aged" players, they are as young as ever.
England have their share of hiccups in the selections. They have brought in Jones to replace Read behind the stumps - a move that surprised many. They have yet to decide whom they pick up between Monty and Giles, but as Fletcher seems to have a soft corner for Ashley, it looks as Monty is going to miss out the tour opener.
All said and done we keep our fingers crossed for tomorrow when the captains go out in the middle to kick-off one of the most anticipated series. Ticket sales have been record-breaking, the media doesnt seem to get satiated with Ashes stories and the crowd is just waiting for some great action. I just hope the series just mirrors the last one, and I get to see some great skills from two of my favourite teams. So bring it on guys - let the action begin.
