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Stokes always says that results come at the bottom of his list of his priorities and, perhaps, at this very moment in the history of the game, the result of this particular Ashes series is not as important as the style with which it is achieved. So to the first ball, an occasion owned by Australia: Steve Harmison's wide, Michael Slater's four and Rory Burns being castled by Mitchell Starc.
It did mean Travis Head and Nathan Lyon were chosen to spend pretty much all day on the fence, closer to the rowdy England fans than their own team-mates.McCullum was in the foothills of a Twenty20 coaching career but had been the name buzzing around Key’s mind since the start, impressed by his captaincy of New Zealand. That joyful team had already been the muse for England’s white-ball resurgence under Eoin Morgan and Trevor Bayliss, with the former asked for a reference on an admittedly close friend but having also seen first-hand his nascent second career at Kolkata Knight Riders. Less remembered are England being rolled by Glenn McGrath on the first day at Lord's in 2005 and Andrew Strauss' third-ball dismissal in 2010-11, both series England won. It is their disciplined lines to Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne that will be so important because they like to bat for long periods, which will be series-winning if it happens again. One of the forgotten successes of the last Ashes series was how England found a way to get on top of Smith and Labuschagne, both fading as the series wore on. Robinson holds that key with his accuracy, nip off the seam and air of narkiness that will be used to rile Australia. He is the unofficial leader of the sledging.
Australia could punch a hole in the ‘Bazball’ phenomenon and bask in a ‘told you so’ smugness that would go beyond just winning their first series in England for 22 years. On the one hand, it was un-Australian. Not fighting fire with fire, but trying to avoid it by diligently completing a risk assessment. On the other, pragmatism can be seen as a sign of strength, having enough confidence in your team to adapt to the situation. What we know is it is 22 years since Australia have won in this country. In that time, England have never failed to win at least two Tests in a home Ashes. For any team to win an Ashes series away is incredibly difficult, even if that team does happen to be the world champions.The tension squeezes tighter as the captains emerge, both in their pristine blazers - Ben Stokes in blue and Pat Cummins in green. Michael Slater hitting Phil DeFreitas' first ball for four in 1994, Steve Harmison's wide in 2006 and Rory Burns being bowled by Mitchell Starc in 2021 all set Australia on the path to victory. Up rises the Hollies stand - Popes, Cardinals, Flintstones and all - with a roar that would not be out of place had it greeted a World Cup-winning goal. Go deep beneath the waves: Hidden cameras give incredible perspectives on ingenious ocean creatures
Sir Alastair Cook, who has swapped playing on these mornings for talking about them, carries out the famous urn flanked by flames. Moment of the series Has to be Woakes hitting the winning runs at Headingley. When Woakes walks out, the series is basically disintegrating towards an ill-tempered anticlimax. When he walks off triumphant, you can tell from the noise alone that it’s alive again. Player of the series Khawaja has been the most consistent batter but this has not been a Khawaja series. It has not been unshowy. It has not been a bit slow. Its skillset was not to be a consistent series. It was to be exhilarating at times, disappointing at others, but always entirely of itself. It has, in other words, been a Crawley series. Is this happening? Both Australia bowlers hit to the boundary with their first Ashes balls? It never has before.What can we expect in 2025? “From the Vulture Street End … Jimmy Anderson.” However, it is the turnover of players between now and then that will make it so fascinating; a whole new cast who have a lot to live up to given the decade of Ashes champions on both sides we’ve just witnessed. Bravo. Barney Ronay Would it have been better to continue to flog the sun-sapped Australians for the remainder of the day and possibly even into the second morning? Something towards 450 sounds nice, doesn't it? They speak of a desire to help others experience the highs of a Test career, not a desperation for personal results. As well as buy-in from a gnarled pair such as Jimmy Anderson and Stuart “the Nighthawk” Broad, a litter of newcomers have delivered.
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