THE ASHES - It Doesnt Get Bigger Than This !

This is gonna be my first post on cricket! Actually speaking, i was not doing justice to my favorite sport. A post on cricket should have been right up there, along with my first few posts! Anyway, thats past tense now. Whats present tense -> Well its the hype surrounding 'The Ashes', which is building up all over England. And i would not be punished if i say, 'all over the cricketing world', too! Its nice to see that atlast, The Ashes is even considered to be a competition, between two teams! Previously, The Ashes was just a formality, where the Australians either invited the English home, or accepted the Englishmens invitation home, in order to remind them that they would be keeping possession of 'The Ashes' for a further 2 years! :) Such was the one sided nature of the competition.

By any chance, if you think that this is the first time that such a hype is created regarding The Ashes, you are badly mistaken. Every time, hype did exist, but the only difference - it was only the Englishmen who created it themselves. The only people who believed that it would even be a competition, were the 11 players who took the field! The way the matches turned out, one was left wondering if even those 11 had harboured any hopes at all ! But this time, refreshingly, the story is different. There is a genuine excitement surrounding the most prestigous series in Cricket. People all over the world realise that this English team could give the Aussies a real run for the trophy! The English tabloids, not to mention, are going crazy with predictions of an English win. The difference here, is that even people outside England, are giving them a decent chance. But if you ask me, i will say that its gonna be Australia with the Ashes, yet again! And this time, with the 'ashes' of a million dreams, and not just 11!

Coming to the cricket part of things, my gut feeling is that this is gonna be a closely fought series, atleast compared to the previous ones. Though my heart wants England to win, my mind shouts 'Australia'. If England are to harbour any thoughts of an upset, their key players - Trescothick, Vaughan, Flintoff and Harmison - have no option but to fire on all cylinders. Of course, there is the ever so charismatic Kevin Pietersen, who could change the game on its head, if he stays at the crease for a good part of the day! I think England have made a good decision by including him in the team. I am pretty sure that the Aussies are wary of him. They realised the potential threat that he is, during the ODIs. Including him, was a step in the right direction.

Trescothick has to fire against the Aussie bowlers if England are to post good totals consistently. He has been a sitting duck in the past, for Mcgrath and Co. Vaughan has been a consistent performer against Australia, and goes without sayin, his contribution is vital. But its in the middle order, where all the difference in this English team, has come from. The top order is pretty much orthodox, but Flintoff and Pietersen, right in the heart of the England batting line up, have the potential to destroy attacks. Their consistency will determine the Ashes scoreline. If both these dynamites decide that this is the right time to explode, the Aussies could well be in store for some ball fetching. Coming to the bowling, Harmison has to be the Man. If he doesnt fire, i am pretty sure Australia will rattle up a huge score. Once that happens, England will be playin catch up! And this, no team on planet Earth, has managed to do, against the champions. Restricting the Aussie batting order, seems to be England's only hope. For the Aussies, Brett Lee looks in menacing form. I have a feeling that Lee (My Fav Bowler) will rip through England atleast twice in this series! Finally, my prediction - its gonna be the Aussies 2-1, or Aussies 3-1.
All said and done, The Ashes is about the begin! All the talking, hype, gossip, media, headlines, predictions etc, can come to a halt. Its time for Action.... Let the games begin!


PS 1: Feel free to include your predictions in your comments... Lets have some fun! General comments are welcome too !!
PS 2: No false assumptions that only ppl with expert cricket knowledge can comment!! All are welcome!