ashes 2005

I was born during the Adelaide Test match when Australia, under Richie Benaud, regained the Ashes. From four days old until my first week of high school, shortly after my twelfth birthday, Australia held the Ashes (and John Snow still hasn't been forgiven). We got them back for a couple of brief periods: January 1975 to August 1977, and January 1983 to August 1985.

Australia picked up the Ashes once more on August 1, 1989. It's sixteen years and eleven days later, and barring an English choke of Greg Normanesque proportions, they're on their way back to England.

Going into the final day of The Oval Test, the four main contenders for the 2005 Midwinter-Midwinter are as follows:

1st: Shane Warne (16)
2nd: Andrew Flintoff (13)
3rd: Daylight (not appearing in this Test)
4th: Marcus Trescothick (7)

Bring me my bow of burning gold!
Bring me my arrows of desire!
Bring me my spear! O clouds, unfold!¹
Relax, I'm a qualified cricket umpire.²

Unless I am sadly mistaken (or perhaps just mistakenly sad), this will be the first Test series decided by non-precipitative cloud cover since Zimbabwe beat Pakistan in 1998 when the final Test was fogged out.

Matthew Hayden produced a big innings on Saturday when it really mattered. Pity about all those time when it really mattered and he didn't.

Perhaps Hayden will emulate his Queensland team-mate Martin Love in scoring a century in his last Test match.