England revel in Ashes glory

Man of the Series Alastair Cook

England have been nothing short of outstanding this series, and yes, while people can (and no doubt will) say that they have beaten a shambolic Australian team, they have played scintillating cricket and have outclassed their opponents in every area of the game. They deserved to win the Ashes, they deserve to have praise heaped on them by the media, and perhaps most importantly, they now have the belief that they can go on and become the best cricket team in the world. What has impressed me the most about this England squad (and I use the word squad very deliberately because it has taken more than eleven players to win this series) is the way they have calmly gone about their business, let their cricket do the talking and exposed the frailties in Australia’s team.

Everyone will talk about how well Alastair Cook played in this series, and rightly so. Cook’s batting has been awe-inspiring at times, and in my opinion he is a perfect role model for any young player who wants to see how to bat for a long period of time and build big scores. Cook doesn’t have a perfect technique, but in this series he has played within himself, only playing shots that he plays well and using solid defence to good or uncomfortable balls. Cook deserved his man of the series award and England will hope that he carries his form into future test matches. It is possibly too early to say whether Cook will become an England great, but he is only 24 and has already been earmarked as a future captain, so the potential is certainly there.

Another player who must be mentioned in light of England’s Ashes success is James Anderson. He has lead England’s attack with great skill during this series and during the last test match at the SCG he gave the Australians a lesson in reverse swing bowling. Anderson has proven during this test match that he doesn’t need favourable English conditions to take wickets, and now must be considered as one of the world’s best fast bowlers.

However, I mentioned previously that it has taken more than 11 players to win this Ashes series. A special mention must be given to Chris Tremlett and Tim Bresnan for coming into the team halfway through the series and playing so well, and it was somewhat fitting that it was Tremlett who took the wicket that sealed England’s 3-1 series win. Andy Flower has done a magnificent job as England coach in the way he has organised his team with a measure of positive thinking and appropriate discipline, and his brilliant relationship with England captain Andrew Strauss has helped to create a positive environment for the team to work in. Also, bowling coach David Saker and batting coach Graham Gooch must be applauded for the work they have done in preparing the players for Australian conditions and improving their overall standard of cricketing skill.

So for the first time in 24 years England are walking away from an Ashes series with a victory and the Ashes urn. These are wonderful times for English cricket, and the current crop of players are not only breaking record after record, but creating memories that will live long into the future. Good time to be an England fan? Definitely!

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