A dangerous game we all play at some point is virtual history, that is what if? But the weight on England’s shoulders these last three years has been the monumental Ashes victory in 2005 and many have said that England have wished to replicate too much of the same thing since. The focus of the English on the Ashes above all else has been a constant criticism both at home and abroad and too many selections have said to have been based around the yearning for those magical days in the fantastic summer that was 2005. Is this fair? Have English selections been unduly influenced by a desire for what was? Was the Ashes victory of 05 detrimental to English cricket. What would have happened if the series had ended all square and the Aussies kept hold of the urn?
FEATURES
If you think a string of recent retirements means Australia will automatically lose top spot in the world of cricket, guess again.
Despite no longer being able to call on modern greats like Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne and Adam Gilchrist, no country is better able to minimise the effect of these departures than Australia.
As West Indies head into the third Test match against Australia, they do so with aspirations of leveling the series at 1-1. The Frank Worrell Trophy is now out of their hands, but there is still the pride of a drawn series up for grabs. And whatever hope the home team bears depends largely on the potency of the front line bowling attack, particularly Fidel Edwards. A cursory look at the series statistics locates Edwards second only to Brett Lee in wickets. His 11 wickets are already a series high, though he has only once played more than 3 Tests in a series. Now it remains to be seen how far he can extend his personal record in Bridgetown.