12/21/24
June 14, 2005
Ashes to Ashes: - "To be precise, it was a Twenty20 international, the first played in this country [England], and England beat Australia . . . hang on, let’s have that again, only slowly. England . . . beat . . . Australia . . . by . . . 100 . . . runs."
Hold on there, I'm not understanding you, 'England beat Australia'? But, but, that doesn't happen!?! Wow, I might watch the ashes this year. You mean we could be in with a chance? No way.
posted by BigCalm at 11:06 AM on June 14, 2005
Why the suprise? England beat the Aussies in their last one dayer, we beat them in the last test, and now we've beaten them in 20/20 - we're on a roll - Ashes victory is surely only a matter of time! I've got tickets to the second test and I can't wait. By the way, 'England beat Australia? But, but, that doesn't happen!?!' - two words for you - Rugby World Cup.
posted by Pete at 11:43 AM on June 14, 2005
All we've done is beat the buggers in an enjoyable but irrelevant bit of knockabout and in the process made them mad. We will suffer for this, mark my words.
posted by Fat Buddha at 12:56 PM on June 14, 2005
two words for you - Rugby World Cup Now there's a rugby fan.
posted by Mr Bismarck at 03:34 PM on June 14, 2005
I think it was more important than winning a fun game - it plants a seed of doubt in some Australian minds, and it plants a seed of belief in some English ones - either of those seeds could germinate and grow into something important as the summer continues. If they'd lost by 10 runs, or 20 even, I could believe the Australians' claims that it was just a bit of fun and they will "laugh it off", but they didn't, they lost by 100 runs. They were bowled out in less than 15 overs. They fielded badly. They didn't look like a hungry team at the start of a tour. I agree that crowing about the win isn't in order, but it has added some more spice to an already spicey prospect of a test series.
posted by JJ at 04:15 AM on June 15, 2005
Well, now they have been stuffed by Somerset. It's going to be a great summer!
posted by Fat Buddha at 04:46 PM on June 15, 2005
Are they, I wonder, still laughing it off?
posted by JJ at 05:03 AM on June 16, 2005
"Both sides played as if they hated to lose, but as if neither got much practice at doing so. It was a great eyeballing, chest-prodding, finger-pointing build-up to the serious punch-ups that follow. If we get the same weather and the same attitude until autumn, it will be something to savour." Wish I'd seen it - by the time I got home from work it was all over!