England Win The Ashes

It was like 2005 all over again as England took the 10 Australian wickets needed to win The Ashes. England has a reputation for making strong comebacks after a poor result. And after crumbling at Headingley there was no margin for any errors. The toss was crucial and allowed England to dictate proceedings. They were helped by the lack of a frontline spinner in the opposition ranks. In hindsight, England could have gone with 2 spinners.

The 2009 Ashes series will be remembered for years to come. There will be inevitable comparisons with the 2005 series triumph. Of course, back then the Australian team contained some huge players which made the win special. It could be argued that both teams are now weaker and in transition. Otherwise the obvious difference with this series is the fact it was won on the field. When Swann took the last wicket, a packed Oval was rocking amid amazing scenes.

This has been a strange series where facts and figures are concerned. If anyone studied the batting and bowling statistics, they would wrongly assume that Australia had won hands down. The crucial match was the 1st test which England should have lost. When the Aussies did not get the win they deserved it was always a possibility it could come back to haunt them.

Andrew Strauss has carried the top order throughout the series. A special mention must go to Matt Prior whose wicket keeping has been faultless during the five test matches. He has eradicated the dropped catches and missed stumpings and he now looks to be the best option behind the stumps. Jonathan Trott proved a fantastic selection and a player who looks completely at home in the test match arena.

Flintoff had a quiet game by his standards yet still managed to run out Ricky Ponting with some excellent fielding. His buddy Steve Harmison also got in on the act with 3 wickets. Overall this was a tremendous display by England who had to remain patient when Australia built some strong partnerships. Andy Flower might not have been first choice but the partnership between him and the skipper appears to be work well.

There will be no over the top celebrations this time which is a good thing. This triumph gives Strauss, Flower and the team a great platform to build on. The tour to South Africa is already looking like a mouth watering proposition.

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