The Ashes – A Final Thought
As I flicked through the 20-odd pages of euphoric Ashes coverage in The Sun it struck me that the relationship between Australia and England has fundementally changed. In the old days Aussies wanted to win cricket and rugby matches to prove we were as good as our old colonial masters. Now the English measure their self-worth by beating us!
Some may also suggest that Ricky Ponting’s generous praise for the Poms last night indicates a growing maturity in Australia as a nation. I’d like to think so too, but having been to The Redback in Acton when the snake bites are 2 for 1, I’m not so sure.
The Blog!
September 14th, 2005 at 8:11 am
Ironic how times change – it was the same when England beat Australia in the Rugby World Cup two years ago.
As for the point about Australian ‘national maturity’, I’ve hated Shane Warne’s guts for years (being both English and a cricket fan!) but seeing him come up and shake Kevin Pietersen’s hand when the latter got dismissed on Monday made me feel a certain respect for him as a sportsman. This, however, was not shown by an Australian girl I met last night, who (referrring more to his personal life than his cricketing skills) described him as ‘an awful advertisement for the Australian male’.
September 16th, 2005 at 7:51 am
mmm, and the aussies measure their worth by beating the kiwis?… not that i understand the sporting world, writes an innocent kiwi
September 23rd, 2005 at 2:23 pm
Well…we let the aussies take a few games..lulls them into a false sense of security…then we assert our authority again!!
All in the good name of sport!