An Engrossing Contest, A Fair Result

A 146-year contest that still engulfs cricket fans the world over. That is the lure of the Ashes. There has been talk for a long time now that Test cricket is dying, that it has no place in an ever-changing world where fast paced entertainment is the name of the game. Indeed the relevance of the time honoured traditional format has been questioned in these days when T-20 cricket is what the game is all about.

Thank Heavens then for England–Australia contests! This remains the glorious exception to the rule followed as it is with utmost fervour even by neutral cricket fans. The just concluded five-match series was the centre of attraction for Indian cricket followers even though there was other cricket being played round the globe. And as could be seen there was packed attendance at all the venues and this is the case even when the contest is played in Australia.

Of course one reason for the popularity is that the cricket in Ashes encounters is generally of a very high order, with the two teams having some of the best players in the contemporary game including a few who can be termed as an all time greats. But this has not always been the case. England has generally been outplayed'Down Under’ and indeed have lost two contests in quick succession 5-0 while Australia have won the last two series by 4-0 margins.

Contests in England have been much more close. Australia won a record eight Ashes series in a row from 1989 to 2003 but once England regained the Ashes in the magical contest of 2005 they have more than held their own. In fact Australia have not won a series in England since 2001.

The just concluded series was almost as engrossing as arguably the greatest Ashes contest of all – 2005, when England won back the urn after 18 years. That series was marked by a high quality of cricket performed by some of the biggest names in the game and the close contest, England won 2-1 with the series open till the final Test at the Oval, was the icing on the cake.

In years to come the 2023 Ashes contest will also be given its proper place in history, somewhere near the top. Again there was much high quality cricket and if the destination of the Ashes was known after the rain affected draw in the fourth Test at Old Trafford interest was still high in the final Test at the Oval to see if England could keep their enviable record of not having lost an Ashes series at home since 2001. This they accomplished in a dramatic manner, a fitting end to an engrossing Test series.

Of course much of the interest was generated by England’s ultra aggressive approach they have adopted since last year which goes under the rather fancy term ‘Bazball’ which is now the buzzword name in cricket. It had proved to be highly successful with England losing just two Tests out of 13 leading upto the start of the series against Australia.

How would it work against the leading team in the world, Australia had embarked on the series right after winning the World Test Championship final against India, became the great debating point. Whether Australia too would adopt a similar approach to combat England’s success rate was the all important question.

Australia, however, came up with a more traditional approach and their method was justified in the retention of the Ashes even though England played the more attractive brand of cricket.

There is little doubt that ‘Bazball’ is here to stay. A record of 13 victories, four defeats and a draw would testify to that. England’s fresh approach that has infused new life in the longest version of the game is to be welcomed.

Basically what they have done is to adopt an almost devil may care outlook principally with their batting but also in their bowling, field placements and captaincy and the tactic has not only worked wonders for the team but also done a lot in restoring interest in Test cricket.

However, an approach like this which involves risks will fail now and then and while it was refreshing to see England continue with an approach that the cricketing world has come to appreciate even after being two down, what the series underlined is the fact that overall teams have to adapt themselves to the situation. A balance has to be struck between all out attack and a stodgy defensive approach.

After the narrow defeat in the first Test coach Brendon McCullum took the defeat on the chin, even going on to say that the result validated England’s attacking methods while expecting his side to “go a little harder’’ at the Aussies in the second Test at Lord’s. “We will continue to play our style which is to try and take the game forward’’ the coach said.

England did adopt the same approach in the remaining matches with much success and but for rain ruining their chances at Old Trafford they could well have won the series after being two down, becoming only the second team in Test cricket history to do so after Don Bradman’s Australians pulled off the unique feat way back in 1936-37.

In the ultimate analysis however a 2-2 verdict was a fair result given that the teams were evenly matched. Any other result would have been unfair to one of the teams.