Why the cricket test series between England and Australia is called Ashes Series?
This is a seriously old question. Why don't you check out the links below. Wikipedia and Encyclopaedia Britannica provides a lot of history and stuff. 334not out.com provides many past results etc. Very interseting.
Are the Ashes still popular among the folks of England and Australia?
The Ashes Urn.Do you realise this magnificent trophy is 4.5in high! - that’s 11cm to modern folks. How could teams not strive for days on end, (with appropriate stops for lunch and tea), and retiring only if the weather became a little moist, for such a magnificent trophy.I think it is still one of the most keenly fought international contests, with the English (let’s be honest cricket is a little less popular in Wales and Scotland) always keen to humble the cocky Colonials, and the Australians equally keen to pass on the skills taught by their convict forebears.Then we have the subsidiary contest for the longest beer snake. For those not familiar with this, there are several examples on youtube.“There's a breathless hush in the Close to-night—Ten to make and the match to win—A bumping pitch and a blinding light,An hour to play and the last man in.And it's not for the sake of a ribboned coat,Or the selfish hope of a season's fame,But his captain's hand on his shoulder smote"Play up! play up! and play the game!"From “Close at Clifton College” by Sir Henry John Newbolt, ( 1862 – 1938)
Which is the best Ashes series ever?
The Ashes 2005…Australia are the No.1 Test team,England have not won the Ashes after 1986–87…First test at Lord’s… After England bundled Australia for 190 they found themselves reeling at 21/5 after a burst from McGrath… a counter from debutant Pietersen but out for 155, Australia racked up 384 and England again skittled out for 180 with Pietersen running out of partners with 64*… Australia won by 239 runs…Second Test at Birmingham… England rake up 407 with Trescothick’s 90 and Australia reply with 308… Then Warne weaves a web and target is restircted to 282… Australia started well, England counter attacked, Australia again fought only to fall off by 2 runs…Third Test at Manchester… With Vaughan’s 166 England rack up 444 and Warne goes past 600 test scalps… Australia have a positive start and find themselves at 214/7 and a Warne special takes them to 302… Strauss hits a ton… Australia are set 423 to win and Ponting scores a 156 and Lee-McGrath salvage a draw with 1 wicket remaining…Fourth Test at Nottingham…This time Freddie comes to the party and England score 477… Australia are bundled out for 218 and were enforced to follow-on after 17 years… Following-on they put up 387 leaving England 129 to win and take a lead in the Ashes… England had a steady start only to fall to Warne and Lee, then Freddie and KP build a small partnership and fall and finally Giles and Hoggard sail them home and they take a 2–1 lead…Fifth and Final Test at Oval… England need to win/draw this match to win the Ashes as a drawn Ashes series results in Australia holding to the Ashes… England put up 373… Australia reply with 367… Warne and McGrath try their best but a maiden century from KP eliminates a result and the match ends in draw…Thus England regain the Ashes after 18 years with a margin of 2–1 against the World No.1 team which started raising doubts that “Are Australia now that strong?” and going to a level of playing an series between Australia and World XI where Australia won all the fixtures to show that the Ashes loss was just a weak spot…
Andy Flower asks - Is this the proudest moment in Australian history?
The way some of these Aussie users are chirping up, you'd have thought they'd have won something really major in the sporting world (haha, I know). Now I must admit, I wouldn't call myself a newbie to this website, but this is the first time I've experienced the reactions for an Australian Ashes test win, they don't come around that often. And I suspect YA was only in the development stages when they last lead an ashes series. Thinking about it, it's very healthy to express your feelings in this manner, whilst England can boast superior strength in nearly every sport, be that cricket, football, golf, tennis, F1, rugby union, boxing, cycling, Olympics, you guys have had very little to celebrate over the last few years. This small chink of light in the dark abyss of Aussie sport must be celebrated. Would anybody like to join me in congratulating Australia on this magnificent moment for them? :-)
Are the Aussies fearing getting bashed by the Poms in this year’s ashes series?
G'day, Great Question : Are the Aussies fearing getting bashed by the Poms in this year’s ashes series?As I write this,Australia have their first ever series loss to India in Australia and won their series against Sri Lanka also in Australia.England have lost the first two tests against West Indies.I reckon Australia and England are pretty evenly matched right now. I doubt the Aussies ever fear getting bashed by the poms.Especially now the poms are losing to West Indies who are ranked the lowest of any of these 5 teams we have spoken about so far.Aussies fear nothing and view losing to anyone as an anomaly, rather than an expectation. Losing to the poms (even though they have lost the Ashes in England for like what, almost the last 20 years!) Even more so. Australians think beating England every time we play at anything is an Australain birthright.I think it will be a very long English summer for both teams, when we have the World Cup then the Ashes.Should be fun.Go Aussies.
What are some of the best moments of The Ashes?
This:Ashes 2005, Edgbaston Test.England won by a narrow margin of 2 runs. Australia needed 282 to win. They had lost 9 wickets for 220 runs. 62 still to win with just 1 wicket remaining. Kasprowicz and Brett Lee were at the crease. Both the players fought hard. The match had become thrilling with Australia inching closer towards the victory with the help of a great last wicket partnership. At the end of the 64th over, Australia needed just 4 more runs to win. On the 3rd ball of the next over, Steve Harmisson got Kasprowicz out taking England to one of their most memorable victories. England players erupted into the celebration. But what Andrew Flintoff did at the moment became a great example of the 'spirit of the game'. Flintoff instead of celebrating, first went to the dejected Brett Lee and shook hands with him. That was a wonderful gesture from Flintoff. That moment is definitely one of the best moments of not only Ashes but of the game of cricket as well.This is what Andrew Flintoff and Brett Lee had to say about the incident: Flintoff : “While growing up as a cricketer in Lancashire, I was told that in victory or defeat, you respect your opposition first and then you have a lot of time to celebrate and do whatever you do.”Lee: “I then feel the big hands (of Flintoff) coming on my back and it’s Freddie and I look up and he pulled me up. That moment happened. I don’t remember what he said as I was caught up in emotions. This happened in 10 seconds and he used words of encouragement." More details:http://www.criclife.com/videos/t...Here's the video:And here's the scorecard of the match: http://m.espncricinfo.com/ci/eng...
Do the Irish people find the Ashes series interesting?
Some background. Cricket is a long-established sport in Ireland however it has a relatively small following compared to other sports. North county Dublin would be considered the stronghold of Irish cricket. This dates back to the English country estates where local tenants and farm helpers were sometimes asked to step into cricket games between the big houses. The interest has remained in these areas with a cluster of cricket clubs now in existence including Balrothery, Balbriggan, Rush, North County and Malahide. Ireland also has four international venues and there are plenty of cricket clubs spread around the country. That said, cricket still carries a stigma in Ireland with many viewing it as the sport of the protestant ascendancy. In modern Irish culture it has somehow stood as a reminder of British rule in Ireland. This is in contrast to rugby and golf which have been wholeheartedly embraced by modern Irish society.The progress of the Irish cricket team since the 2011 World Cup has helped promote the sport in Ireland over the last number of years, however, the Ashes series is a still a side-note in most national newspapers. Interest in international cricket matches is still restricted to small enclaves around the country, despite the sports surprisingly deep roots.