The legendary Australian batsman was the focus of the first adult book I recall going through as a youngster. To a primary school student, the unfairness of an English captain instructing his teammates to hurt a talented Aussie was hard to grasp. Thus, similar to countless others, I developed a dislike for England.
Anticipation for the Ashes? It goes without saying. The sport's schedule makes this a rare treat to watch two of the world’s best teams test and taunt and tease each other over what we hope will be 25 days of interrogation with the red Kookaburra.
As the celebrated all-rounder reminded us last week at the announcement of the ticket draw for the historic 2027 match, the Ashes has a unique appeal. “Traditionally, everyone in the cricketing world tunes into the Ashes,” he remarked. “It's about heritage, it’s the competition, you know that’s it all flat out.”
Across the UK, those two tightly fought contests – featuring Steve Smith’s mountain of runs and Ben Stokes’ Headingley masterpiece in 2019, and the Lord’s Long Room disgrace of 2023 – have met the expectations of what an Ashes contest should be. Yet, they have not had the same cultural impact on the Australian shores when half of Australia falls asleep before the end of the lunch interval.
On Australian soil, the Ashes has been less flat out than just uneventful 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 reinforcing perceptions. A true rivalry should not be this way.
The Sport's Commentators Need to Crouch Down at the Ashes’ Waning Embers and Fan the Flames
England's squad were met in Perth by a tired headline in the local tabloid, “Baz Bawl”, supported by a portrayal of the widely respected Ben Stokes as “arrogant”. The paper then had a dig at “Average Joe” Root, aka “Dud Root Down Under”. It was enough to elicit a predictable Fleet Street reaction, enabling the media to squeeze what juice is left in the lead-up before the first ball is bowled.
On the other hand, the previous Border-Gavaskar Trophy between Australia and India sparked something all by itself. The spiritual peak was the Melbourne match, a memory that cannot be extinguished. The metrics, also, impressed. Over 800,000 attended the five Tests, the fourth most for any contest in Australia and the highest for any non-Ashes matchup. Audiences were entranced, similar to the ratings surge for India’s tour of England this year, and eight sessions averaged more than 2m television viewers.
In recent weeks, the touching send-offs of two Indian legends at the Sydney Cricket Ground made one-day cricket truly significant. Contrast the headline following the last time England visited for a limited-overs series: “Smallest attendance for an ODI match sparks concerns for future of 50-over format”.
The Growing Clout of Indian Cricket
Even though bad weather disrupted the T20 series with India, the action that occurred indicates Australia are some way off the T20 international standards. For the women's game, at the global tournament last month, the home side defeated the defending champions. The multi-format series starting in Sydney is primed as a de facto world championship.
It’s easy to overlook the colorful fan groups that gather at India’s matches – and not just Tests – as a simple reflection of the vast diaspora of the planet's largest country. However, to bean counters and television executives, they are an boon.
India now matters more to Australia than its historical roots, given the countries share an sea, colonial parallels, and increasingly their peoples. India is set to surpass the UK, per official statistics, as the origin of the largest group of immigrants as early as this year. The failing Aukus relationship is prompting a recalibration of security priorities respecting the rising power of Asian powers, a change that long ago happened in the cricketing world.
The former Australian skipper, who also coached India, noted last week that England was “the classic foe”, but also that “honestly, if not for India, the sport would suffer”.
The Ultimate Test
Before Australia claimed the trophy last summer, India had held it for a decade. In India, Australia haven’t won in over two decades. Should the hosts win back the urn comfortably this summer, losing the multi-match series in India in early 2027 would make this period unfulfilled.
That elusive victory on the subcontinent remains the ultimate test for this generation, and a setback against England this summer – attributed to an untimely injury, just like 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 lopsided rivalry indefinitely. So, with a gaudy, engrossing India having recently departed, Ben Stokes’s players have a lot at stake. Win the series and remain significant. Or lose the urn and with it an irreplaceable asset: the claim to being the top opponent. We beg the English, raise your game.
