Don Bradman was the focus of the initial serious read I recall going through as a child. To a young pupil, the unfairness of an English captain ordering his countrymen to target a talented Aussie was hard to grasp. Thus, like many, I came to hate England.
Excitement about the Ashes? It goes without saying. The sport's schedule makes this a special occasion to observe two of the top cricketing nations challenge and provoke each other over what we hope will be 25 days of intense competition with the traditional red ball.
As the celebrated all-rounder reminded us last week at the launch of the ballot for the historic 2027 match, the Ashes has a unique appeal. “Historically, everyone in the cricketing world tunes into the Ashes,” he remarked. “It's about heritage, the rivalry, it's always full throttle.”
In England, those two tightly fought contests – marked by Smith's prolific scoring and Ben Stokes’ Headingley masterpiece in 2019, and the Lord’s Long Room disgrace of 2023 – have lived up to the hype of what an Ashes battle should be. However, they have not had the same cultural impact on the other side of the world when half of Australia nods off before the end of the lunch interval.
In home Tests, the Ashes has been more subdued than just flat for more than a decade. Australians expect their team to win and win handily, as it has been since the nineties. Boland's stunning figures at the MCG wasn’t wrought in a furnace of competition, it was English tragicomedy confirming a worldview. A genuine contest should not be so one-sided.
Cricket’s Town Criers Need to Lean In at the Fading Glow and Fan the Flames
England's squad were met in Perth by a predictable front page in the city's paper, “Bazball”, supported by a portrayal of the widely respected Ben Stokes as “cocky”. The publication then had a go at “Mediocre” Root, also known as “Dud Root Down Under”. It was enough to prompt a typical media response, enabling the press to squeeze what juice is left in the days before the series begins.
On the other hand, the previous Border-Gavaskar Trophy between the Aussies and India ignited excitement on its own. The highlight was the Melbourne match, a memory that cannot be extinguished. The numbers, also, impressed. 838,000 attended the five Tests, the fourth most for any series in Australia and the top for any non-Ashes matchup. Viewers were captivated, similar to the ratings surge for India’s tour of England this year, and eight sessions drew more than two million TV fans.
Lately, the emotional if unofficial farewells of two Indian legends at the SCG made ODI matches truly significant. Contrast the headline following the last time England came here for a limited-overs series: “Smallest attendance for Australia-England ODI sparks concerns for ODI cricket's survival”.
India’s Rising Influence
Even though bad weather disrupted the T20 series with India, the action that occurred suggests Australia are some way off the T20 international standards. In women’s cricket, at the World Cup last month, the home side knocked off the defending champions. The multi-format series starting in Sydney is primed as a unofficial world title decider.
It’s easy to overlook the colorful fan groups that flock to India’s matches – across all formats – as a simple reflection of the vast diaspora of the planet's largest country. However, to bean counters and broadcast bosses, they are an boon.
India now matters more to Australia than its historical roots, given the countries share an ocean, shared colonial history, and increasingly their peoples. India is set to surpass the UK, per official statistics, as the source of the biggest contingent of immigrants as soon. The struggling defence pact is driving a realignment of security priorities respecting the growing influence of Asian powers, a shift that occurred years back in the sport of cricket.
The former Australian skipper, who also led the Indian team, said last week that England was “our biggest traditional rival”, but added “to be fair, without India, cricket wouldn’t be the same”.
The Ultimate Test
Before Australia claimed the trophy last summer, India had held it for a decade. On the subcontinent, Australia haven’t won in over two decades. Should the home side reclaim the Ashes easily this summer, losing the five-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy in India in early 2027 would make this period unfulfilled.
The long-awaited win on the subcontinent remains the ultimate test for today's players, and a blip against England this summer – attributed to an untimely injury, similar to past incidents – would only add to the narrative.
England have not secured a victory in Australia for almost 15 years, and as rich as the lore may be, it won't support a one-sided contest forever. Therefore, with a gaudy, engrossing India having only just flown out, Ben Stokes’s players have much to play for. Triumph in the Ashes and remain significant. Or surrender the trophy and with it an irreplaceable asset: the right to being the top opponent. We beg the English, just be good.
