Ground to dust: England’s failure in the Ashes

Since the first Test in Melbourne during March 1877, there has always been a special place in the history of cricket for the Ashes, the series involving England and Australia, from rivals in that opening. The series-naming Ashes was coined by a British newspaper in 1882 and the term and the trophy, urn, game have become part of folklore. England lost the 1877 game and are currently cut, losing again to Old Blighty in Melbourne and handing the current Ashes 0–3 to host Australia, with the two Tests still in the series. Combining history and present may seem like a one-way street, but the Ashes is far from it as Australia have won 34 and England 32 through a series that has attained legendary proportions over the decades. However, recent history will confirm Australia’s dominance with the Ashes breaking out in 2017 and 2019, and the latest result even in favor of the former colony, while the homeland has resigned to eating the humble pie. Three losses in successive Tests have shown England in a bad light. The will to fight seems to have waned and Joe Root’s men are tagged as the worst tourists to ever land in Australia and, as mentioned, the hosts have only 12 days to confiscate the urn. was needed.

There have been times when England were suffering from anemia, especially in the matches against the West Indies in the 1980s. The birthplace of cricket has added a new chapter to those stories of infamy. England’s batting remains rooted while their allies have collapsed with itchy feet, itchy hands and a lethargic mind. With the batsmen failing, the England attack is struggling to build up the pressure. And when the bowlers struck during James Anderson’s 39 summers and an excellent spell in Melbourne, England’s batsmen failed to extend support and Australia went on to win by an innings and 14 runs. Debutant Scott Boland’s six for seven in the second innings reiterated Australia’s talent base and its strong domestic structure, while England were left to think about their county circuit. An injured Josh Hazlewood did not miss to talk about the strength inherent within the Australian pace-pack. Boland showed that at age 32, hope can still float for the committed athlete. He is the second player after Jason Gillespie to emerge from the Australian Aboriginal community for the Australian men’s Test team, which also showed cricket’s democratic footprint. Ahead of the series, Australia looked shaky after losing their regular captain Tim Paine in a quiet scandal. But in Pat Cummins, the Aussies have found a calm captain, and with England in disarray, the Ashes will remain in the Southern Hemisphere.