Favourite Ashes Memory

[sledger]

Think my favourite memory would have to be from 2005 when Strauss dropped that catch by Geriant Jones dived underneath it and snatched it up. Not sure why that stands out any more than the other great moments, that's just one I always remember.

 

[stumpski]

This for me, listening late at night to a crappy radio, that whenever anything like runs or an edge happened it just cut to static, because of the crowd noise. So every time a run was scored I thought it may be a wicket.

The final ball went something like "oh he's edged it, dropped...........Static.............". I almost turned off the radio in frustration, thought we'd lost. So the joy of the win was particularly sweet

Yeah I thought Botham was the catcher for some reason, perhaps because he was a slip fielder; but he was bowling of course. Well he had to be involved somewhere. Heard it live as well, must have been around 1 a.m.

 

[Lillian Thomson]

So shattered at the lack of "Boycott's glorious back-foot cover-drive off Pascoe to the boundary to get off the mark in his first Test back in 1977" from you TBH.

Didn't see it tbh. Not that I was very pro-Boycs at that moment in time, being less than overwhelmed that he'd finally deigned to make himself available for the national side. Granted I was rather more grateful a couple of hundreds later with Ashes in the bag as a result.

That innings was most memorable for Peter West screaming "Here he comes" as Boycott came down the steps to bat as though it was the Second Coming of Our Lord. Boycott was supposed to face the first ball of the innings but Thomson and Pascoe changed their intended ends and Brearley took the first ball. There was no glorious back-foot cover drive to get off the mark, he nudged his first ball down the leg side for a single.
The second great moment of that innings was after Boycott had batted over 3 hours for 20 and the score was 87-5. Richie Benaud said something was bound to happen with the score on 87 (as he always did) and McCosker dropped a sitter in the slips off Boycott. Greg Chappell's reaction was the closest you'll ever see to suicide in a Test Match.

 

[Richard]

There was no glorious back-foot cover drive to get off the mark, he nudged his first ball down the leg side for a single.

FTR I don't have a clue when that shot came - it may not even have been in Boycott's first Test back, could have been in any of the matches he and Pascoe played that summer. However, there was certainly a glorious back-foot cover-drive off Pascoe at some point in his summer's work (maybe several of them - I've only seen one).

 

[ripper868]

But I'm not talking about what it looks like. I'm talking about how it plays.

I'm no rank expert on deciphering how a pitch will play by looking at it (whether Ponting is or isn't I don't know) but that's not what I'm talking about - I'm talking about using hindsight, having already seen how the pitch has played, to assess how it's played.

In short, doing something as simple as watching the game. Which both Ponting and I did with great attention-to-detail that match. Ergo, his thoughts on how the pitch played cannot automatically be more likely to be correct than mine.

You watched the game, he watched and played the game...I think that does automatically make his opinion of the pitch more valid than yours. Deadest, the sun would shine alot more in Britain if you stood up and bent over.

 

[Top_Cat]

But I'm not talking about what it looks like. I'm talking about how it plays.

I'm no rank expert on deciphering how a pitch will play by looking at it (whether Ponting is or isn't I don't know) but that's not what I'm talking about - I'm talking about using hindsight, having already seen how the pitch has played, to assess how it's played.

In short, doing something as simple as watching the game. Which both Ponting and I did with great attention-to-detail that match. Ergo, his thoughts on how the pitch played cannot automatically be more likely to be correct than mine.

Will you read the fjorking study already? You're providing the shining definition of 'unskilled but unaware' and you're contracdicting not only Ponting but science. Your opinion from watching < Ponting's from actually playing on it.

I know it looks like I'm singling you out but it applies to everyone who isn't playing at that level on those pitches. The difference between you and the rest of us is that we defer to those who actually played rather than insisting our view is the correct one and the other guy's is wrong.

 

[Richard]

You watched the game, he watched and played the game...I think that does automatically make his opinion of the pitch more valid than yours.

It doesn't though. You don't need to play on a pitch to see what it's doing.

Deadest, the sun would shine alot more in Britain if you stood up and bent over.

Nah.

 

[Richard]

Will you read the fjorking study already? You're providing the shining definition of 'unskilled but unaware' and you're contracdicting not only Ponting but science. Your opinion from watching < Ponting's from actually playing on it.

How can playing on it give you a better idea of what it did than watching it? I have read the study and understand the conclusions it draws, and in fact agree - I just disagree that this case fits it.

All you need to do to see what a pitch is doing is watch the deliveries being delivered.

I know it looks like I'm singling you out but it applies to everyone who isn't playing at that level on those pitches. The difference between you and the rest of us is that we defer to those who actually played rather than insisting our view is the correct one and the other guy's is wrong.

I've heard plenty of people insist that a player is making too much \ not making enough of a pitch TBH. Not that you'd neccessarily pull them all up, just that I've not yet seen it.

 

[Ikki]

Even though we lost, I consider Ashes 2005 as my favourite "Ashes memory". It was an incredibly close contest and, for example, had Kasper held on for a few more runs we could have won the series. Also, not least because it showed Warne at his best. I've not seen anyone put on such a "grab the team by the scruff of the neck" performance over a series as I did in that one. I believe had he held on to the Pietersen catch we would have even gone on to have stolen it.

Ashes 2007 my second favourite .

 

[Ikki]

It doesn't though. You don't need to play on a pitch to see what it's doing.

"Need", sure. But the one who is both playing on it, watching it and has vast experience to draw comparisons on is more likelier to be correct than the one who just watches it on telly.

 

[Richard]

Well he wasn't even making comparisons - was merely saying "it was a pretty good pitch". He didn't say "compared to..." in any stretch, unless I missed something.

 

[Ikki]

"Seventeen wickets fell on the first day. On what was essentially a pretty good pitch, that was quite a start to the Ashes."

I think what he is trying to imply is that it was a surprise to have so many wickets fall, when the pitch was good [for batting].

 

[Richard]

17 wickets is pretty much a surprise regardless, however difficult a deck. But that one was uneven in pace and bounce, moved off the seam, and of course had the ever-present Lord's slope. All the more surprising as Ponting was hit as a result of this unevenness.

 

[Burgey]

Even though we lost, I consider Ashes 2005 as my favourite "Ashes memory".

 

[Spikey]

I remember that Test significantly because of Slater making a century despite every other batsman (barring Mark Waugh) failing to reach double figures. Classic.

My first test memory comes from that test. It wasn't the Waugh partnership, the Gough hattrick or Slater's innings (and run-out ). No, it was the last wicket of the match, a caught and bowled by MacGill...via Slater's foot at silly point. As a 6yo I thought that was absolutely hilarious.

 

[Jakester1288]

Edgbaston 2005
Winning 2006/07 so convincingly

They are my only 2 Ashes series that I have been following cricket, bar 2009, so far.

 

[Richard]

You are familiar with the phrase "short-term pain for long-term gain" aren't you?

 

[zaremba]

You are familiar with the phrase "short-term pain for long-term gain" aren't you?

I expect Burgey might agree that this is what it was. But I would understand if he didn't include any sort of pain (short-term or otherwise) among his "favourite Ashes memories".

 

[GIMH]

Given that Burgey still mentions Murray Mints in every other post four years after the defeat, I don't think it could really be termed as short-term pain

 

[Burgey]

You are familiar with the phrase "short-term pain for long-term gain" aren't you?

Haha, what?

Australia were **** in that series. Try sitting up all night and watching every ball of it, only to see a side of that quality produce that dross night after night. It's like supporting England in big football tournaments.

I made that point to Ponting when I went out to the nets at the SCG and watched him have a hit before that ICC "test". Was actually a photo of him batting in the nets with me leaning on the fence behind him looking suitably pissed off. Mate of mine captioned it as "The look of a man who saw every ball of the Ashes".

Anyway, that cover drive Ponting played today off Anderson with the second new ball might well join the list of my highlights. That was amazing.