Having followed the fortunes of English cricket for many years...

Through thick and nearly constant thin, those scenes today caused a lump in my throat and a tear or two in my eye...

What a marvellous day. The way Duncan Fletcher and the players have turned an absolutely useless team around in the matter of 5 or 6 years really is incredible.

And they're such a bunch of top blokes too, all down to earth and work their socks off for this country.

If only the overpaid bunch of useless prima donnas that are our football team gave half as much effort...

 

And Freddie and KP were still pissed from yesterday, brilliant atmosphere in Trafalgar Square, as Max Boyce, I know cos I was there

Proud to be a Northerner, Live in Ashes Winning Country and Olympic City

 

Yep, they should all receive awards in the honours...

Sports Personality of the Year - Freddie

Coach of the Year - Duncan Fletcher

Team of the Year - England

Surely?!

 

5 or 6 years - you've hit the nail on the head there Journo.</p>

How long has Andy Ritchie had so far? And how long will he get if we aren't in the palyoffs this year?</p>

 

How often does a football team get 5 or 6 years probation?

 

i dont understand the ashes

it is only a series of matches against one team, its not like we won the cricket world cup or anything.

 

freddie flintoff is 1/16 on to win the sports personality of the year...was 9/2 before the ashes started..

 

Unfortunately

There isn't a cricket world cup for test match cricket, only for the one day version which is a completely different game. Australia have been the best test team in the world for many years. England have just beaten them over a series of 5 games. Rather than a one off match where any number of factors can come in to play, we have proven in these 5 games that at this momnt in time we are the better side. I reckon that's as good as any world cup victory.

Lance Armstrong has never won an Olympic gold, but his victories in the Tour de France by far eclipse the achievements of those who have won a one off race. Same sort of thing here.

 

Now i understand

Although it isnt a proper world cup or anything it is the closest thing possible in the sport they play.

For the benefit of somebody who knows nothing about the sport do they have competitions against other countries too or just the ashes?

 

We also play against

New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan, India, West Indies and Sri Lanka who are the primary test playing nations, plus Bangladesh and Zimbabwe who have test playing status but, without being too harsh, aren't quite as good.

In the summer a country will tour England. We usually play two series, a 3 test series and 5 or 6 test series. This summer we played Bangladesh in a 3 and Australia in a 5. In the winter the England team will tour themselves and play a series in one or more of the above countries. This winter we are going to Pakistan. The other countries all play each other too. The results of these series are put in to a table where Australia have been top for chuffing ages. We are currently second I believe.

 

WTF has happened there?

 

RE: WTF has happened there?

racist

 

thanks jay

 

RE: Unfortunately

I think it was Vaughan who said that we'll only show ourselves to be better than Australia when we've beaten them home and away - they are halfway there, lets hope they finish the job off in 2006-7.
It's a shame though that they can't organise some kind of official test match competition, maybe points gained through a series of test matches. If a World Cup for one-dayers is held every 4 years then maybe a World Tournament of test matches on a 4 year cycle, i.e. each team plays each other home and away in test match format over a 3 year period with points accrued towards the title. Maybe the top 2 then play a series the following year as the final.

 

RE: Unfortunately

I think it was Vaughan who said that we'll only show ourselves to be better than Australia when we've beaten them home and away - they are halfway there, lets hope they finish the job off in 2006-7.
It's a shame though that they can't organise some kind of official test match competition, maybe points gained through a series of test matches. If a World Cup for one-dayers is held every 4 years then maybe a World Tournament of test matches on a 4 year cycle, i.e. each team plays each other home and away in test match format over a 3 year period with points accrued towards the title. Maybe the top 2 then play a series the following year as the final.

 

To be fair...

The england cricket players get a large section of their pay from the EWCB for playing in internationals and it is therefore in their interest to put some effort in

Footballers only get a small % of their pay for playing for their country so they are probably more inclined to play hard for the people who pay most of their wages.

Still I can't disagree with you about the overpaid bit, because I did shout "overpaid tossers" at the TV when Northen Ireland beat us.

 

fair point, old iron gloves rodney marsh played a point too