Ashes success lacking that special feeling

FOUR years ago, it was one of those historic sporting moments that stick in your mind forever.

Once the bails had been removed to signal a draw which brought the famous little urn back for the first time in close to a decade, it was straight down to the nearest Australian-themed hostelry after work to order a drink with a broad smile from the antipodean bartender and soak up the jubilant atmosphere.

“Mine’s a pint of Ashes — sorry, lager — please sir.”

It wasn’t quite as special this time.

Watching the closing stages in the local due to the absence of Sky Sports in chéz Chambers, mine was the sole cry of joy when Alistair Cook snaffled the catch at short leg which brought the curtain down on a peculiar series.

That’s because the main television of the two at the Cav (free plugs are worth a pint each) was showing the West London derby at the time.

This doesn’t represent the most scientific of polls — though it is still arguably of more worth than one of those heavily weighted jobs you get in the tabloids, asking things like “do you think asylum seekers who drop litter and treat animals badly should receive free mobile phones?” — but it is easy to conclude that most folk haven’t been particularly bothered about the cricket this time around when they’d rather watch Chelsea versus Fulham.

There are a number of possible reasons for this apathy - the most obvious being the disgraceful fact that the Ashes series wasn’t shown live on terrestrial television. Highlights aren’t enough.

The next is that this time around, there was a distinct lack of high profile personalities to get excited about.

Australia were missing Matthew Hayden, Justin Langer, Adam Gilchrist as well as legendary pair Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath, while England batted for four Tests minus the flamboyance of Kevin Pietersen.

Finally, linking with the above, is the fact that the weakened tourists were never built up to be anything other than a reasonable team.

While the Ashes win of 2005 provided a huge release at least partly because of the calibre of opposition England found themselves up against, plenty of pundits fully expected Andrew Strauss’s side to triumph in home conditions of their suiting.

Still, quality of cricket and public interest aside, it was still a tense and exciting series between evenly-matched sides containing a number of thrilling and dramatic sessions of play.

Thankfully, England came out on top in those moments that really mattered. None more so than the scarcely believable match-saving partnership between James Anderson and Monty Panesar in the first Test which must have provided the home camp with so much belief.

Delta Goodrem, Ned Kelly, Danni Minogue, Skippy the Bush Kangaroo — your boys may not have taken a hell of a beating as in ‘05. But an Ashes win is still an Ashes win, wholesale MBE handouts or not.

mattchambers@oldham-chronicle.co.uk