So too the collective palms of the England cricket fan. A conjoined pulse quickens as thoughts, daydreams, hopes and fears become focused on that first ball at Edgbaston in three weeks' time. That's for the men. England's women get under way at Trent Bridge seven days later - a first five-day Test on home soil. Two Ashes ding-dongs side by side. Twice the action and for now, double the chatter.
We've had Ollie Robinson talk about handing Pat Cummins's boys a "good hiding" and Lauren WinfieldHill declare that Meg Lanning's Australian side have "scars too", adding: "They can wobble, they can be fractured." The response from Australian quarters has been muted. Even Glenn McGrath was seen to heavily caveat his customary 5-0 prediction.
Emboldened by the success of the past year, Ben Stokes's team have been looser lipped than an England side might normally be. In a Sky Sports interview with Nasser Hussain, Stokes chuckled when reminded of Robinson's remarks. Nasser could barely hide his twitchiness, admitting the England side of his era wouldn't have dared to have a pop at the domineering Aussies - the thought had Hussain shifting in his seat.
In fairness, both sides have given as good as they've got over the years. "We have come to beard the kangaroo in his den and try to recover those Ashes," England's Ivo Bligh declared in 1882. Early exchanges were steeped in the struggle between empire and colony but as the series have stacked up, pre-series pronouncements have become Ashes folklore.
Bu hikaye The Guardian dergisinin May 25, 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Bu hikaye The Guardian dergisinin May 25, 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
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