Measuring just a few inches high and looking slightly battered, the Ashes Urn can hardly be described as impressive.
Yet it is one of the most fiercely competed for sporting trophies in the world and England’s triumph over Australia in the latest round of bi-annual warfare that is ‘Ashes Series’ cricket will be a trigger for either national celebration or deep gloom depending on which country you support.
Roared on by the ecstatic regiment of fans that make up the ‘Barmy Army’, England duly completed the victory in Sydney to give them a deserved 3 -1 series win and retain the trophy won in England two years ago.
Andrew Strauss joins an elite and distinctly short list of England Captains to have won an Ashes Series home and away, with just Sir Len Hutton and Mike Brearley having achieved the same feat.
It would not be seemly to gloat over fallen rivals who celebrated so joyously after a humiliating five-nil whitewash over England the last time the series was played down under in 2005 and prompted them to wonder aloud whether the chasm in class was too wide to justify five Tests and whether this should be reduced to three.
No that is simply not the English way, but those bleary-eyed England fans who watched the final action into the early hours of Friday morning can be excused for wearing a satisfied smile and wondering if those Aussie fans were right – maybe there is too wide a chasm in class to justify five tests.
Would it be too mischievous to suggest that the Aussies should read Cricket, Steps to Success?
Aimed at learning the basics and improving technique in all areas of the game, it’s just the sort of back-to-basics guide that might just put them back on the right lines
Human Kinetics publishes a range of cricket books suitable for teachers, coaches and players.