The Greatest Test Series of All Time.
The most tense and exciting series ever played in the long history of cricket comes to a conclusion soon. The crucial deciding fifth and final test match at the Oval begins on Thursday. In the meantime, this country has gone cricket mad. If England win the Ashes they are already saying it will be the greatest sporting achievement this country has seen since 1966. Tickets are selling for more than £1000 on ebay.
I've already bought an England cricket shirt and it's much nicer than the current football strip.
England knows that a win or a draw will be enough to recapture the Ashes, for the first time since 1987.
Before we can celebrate, we have to defeat the Australians once more. They are still are a great side and will probably field their strongest line-up for four matches.
Simon Jones is out (our leading pace-man) and Australia look like they will have McGrath back. It's going to be tough. Will England replace Jones with Collingwood or the erratic but pacey Anderson?
The last three matches have gone down to the wire. There were moments when I was unable to watch the dying minutes of the Trent Bridge test as Warney ripped England apart chasing that small target of 128. On televsion 8 million were watching in this country alone (half the television audiance) and millions more across the world. It has been fantastic. There are moments I have screamed with joy (the Aussie wickets falling early in the 1st innings at Trent Bridge), and moments when I just couldn't watch. The feeling I had after Old Trafford was one of "What if?" when England were so close.
The games have been decided by 2 runs, 1 wicket and 3 wickets respectively in the last three test. Football has been relegated to the inside pages of the tabloids and rightly so.
What a summer it has been... magic!
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