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Key also knew Stokes was set to hit the task hard as the clouds of bubble life and his mental health problems the previous summer lifted. Had he sought to offset the captain’s returning flame with an intense “drill sergeant” head coach or one who was overly technical and fastidious, the result of this fire and ice, to quote the Spinal Tap bassist, Derek Smalls, would have been lukewarm water. Player of the series Khawaja has been the most consistent batter but this has not been a Khawaja series. It has not been unshowy. It has not been a bit slow. Its skillset was not to be a consistent series. It was to be exhilarating at times, disappointing at others, but always entirely of itself. It has, in other words, been a Crawley series. Player of the series There were a couple of superb innings from him, but Stokes’s leadership has been more impressive still. He marshals his players expertly on the field, brings passion and empathy to the role, his side have a real collective mindset and everyone has completely bought in to his vision. Is this happening? Both Australia bowlers hit to the boundary with their first Ashes balls? It never has before. So to the first ball, an occasion owned by Australia: Steve Harmison's wide, Michael Slater's four and Rory Burns being castled by Mitchell Starc.
For a hat that has become more synonymous with high fashion, it will not be surprising to learn that baseball caps started life on the sports field. “It was originally known as the Brooklyn cap in the late 1800s/early 1900s, with its origins traced to the local baseball team,” says Dalrymple. But they have become just as apt for the front row of fashion shows or the boardroom as for the pitcher’s mound. The tension squeezes tighter as the captains emerge, both in their pristine blazers - Ben Stokes in blue and Pat Cummins in green. What can we expect in 2025? Two new captains, probably. Stokes’s body seems highly unlikely to make it to the rematch and the pressure on Cummins’s leadership in the second half of this series was telling. Simon Burnton It is their disciplined lines to Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne that will be so important because they like to bat for long periods, which will be series-winning if it happens again. One of the forgotten successes of the last Ashes series was how England found a way to get on top of Smith and Labuschagne, both fading as the series wore on. Robinson holds that key with his accuracy, nip off the seam and air of narkiness that will be used to rile Australia. He is the unofficial leader of the sledging. Moment of the series Lyon limps out to bat at Lord’s. There was the comedy of him having to leave the dressing room alongside the previous batter to have a chance of not being timed out, the shame of a brilliant player being ruled out of the series through injury, the sheer grit involved in forcing himself through the pain barrier and the knowledge with hindsight that Lyon’s departure contributed to Australia surrendering a 2-0 lead.Stokes always says that results come at the bottom of his list of his priorities and, perhaps, at this very moment in the history of the game, the result of this particular Ashes series is not as important as the style with which it is achieved.
T20 and other short formats are here to stay, a cash cow to be milked by players, administrators and broadcasters alike. Even if they lose this series, if it is done while throwing everything at Australia, then it will not lead to the usual pearl clutching of an Ashes defeat. It feels like it will either be a glorious triumph or a glorious failure. Stokes has done his best this week to not be different, to ensure his players are preparing as if for any other series, but there was a sense of relief on Thursday that the hype was over and the day “finally here”. Rob Key gave the diagnosis when he swapped the role of commentator for England team director at the start of last season. He made a bet with himself that, despite the flatlining results that prompted regime change, the team were blessed with good players who were trying too hard, wanted it too much and in a jaded struggle through the pandemic’s fug of fixture fulfilment, were “suffocating”. What we know is it is 22 years since Australia have won in this country. In that time, England have never failed to win at least two Tests in a home Ashes. For any team to win an Ashes series away is incredibly difficult, even if that team does happen to be the world champions.Home advantage makes England slight favourites,” says Morgan. “But Australia are incredibly strong. I see two positives to England’s method: if it works early in the series, it will tempt Australia to change how they play or see them start to question themselves. That can lead to changes in selection, etc. Mike Atherton's team steamrollered Australia for 118 on the opening day of the 1997 series at Edgbaston, but then lost 3-2.
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