🔗 Share this article

The legendary Australian batsman was the subject of the initial serious read I remember reading as a child. In the mind of a young pupil, the injustice of an English captain ordering his countrymen to target a talented Aussie was unfathomable. Thus, like many, I came to hate England.

Anticipation for the Ashes? It goes without saying. The sport's schedule makes this a special occasion to watch two of the top cricketing nations challenge and provoke each other over what we anticipate will be five Tests of interrogation with the traditional red ball.

As Ian Botham pointed out last week at the launch of the ticket draw for the historic 2027 match, the Ashes has a special charm. “Historically, everyone in the cricketing world tunes into the Ashes,” he said. “It’s the tradition, the rivalry, you know that’s it all flat out.”

Across the UK, those two tightly fought contests – marked by Smith's prolific scoring and Ben Stokes’ Headingley masterpiece in 2019, and the controversial Long Room incident of 2023 – have met the expectations of what an Ashes contest should be. However, they have not had the equivalent resonance on the Australian shores when many locals falls asleep before the afternoon session begins.

On Australian soil, the Ashes has been more subdued than just flat for more than a decade. Fans down under anticipate their team to dominate easily, as it has been since the 1990s. Boland's stunning figures at the MCG wasn’t born from a fierce duel, it was a comical English collapse reinforcing perceptions. A true rivalry should not be so one-sided.

The Sport's Commentators Must Now Lean In at the Ashes’ Waning Embers and Fan the Flames

The English team were greeted upon arrival by a predictable front page in the local tabloid, “Bazball”, supported by a portrayal of the highly regarded Ben Stokes as “cocky”. The paper then had a dig at “Average Joe” Root, aka “Flop Root in Australia”. It was enough to prompt 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 ignited excitement all by itself. The highlight was that MCG experience, a memory that cannot be extinguished. The numbers, too, overwhelmed. Over 800,000 attended the five Tests, the fourth most for any series in Australia and the top for any non-Ashes matchup. Viewers were captivated, not unlike the ratings surge for India’s tour of England this year, and multiple periods drew more than 2m television viewers.

Lately, the emotional if unofficial farewells of two Indian legends at the SCG made ODI matches actually mean something. Contrast the news title following the previous occasion England visited for a limited-overs series: “Smallest attendance for an ODI match sparks concerns for ODI cricket's survival”.

India’s Rising Influence

Even though bad weather disrupted the T20 series with India, what play we saw suggests Australia are some way off the T20 international standards. In women’s cricket, at the global tournament last month, the home side defeated the title holders. The all-format contest kicking off in February-March is shaping up as a unofficial world title decider.

It’s easy to dismiss the adoring blue, orange and green crowds that gather at India’s matches – and not just Tests – as a simple reflection of the huge expat community of the world’s most populous nation. But, to bean counters and broadcast bosses, they are an elixir.

India now matters more to Australia than its motherland, given the countries share an ocean, colonial parallels, and increasingly their peoples. India is set to overtake the UK, per ABS migration data, as the origin of the largest group of immigrants as soon. The failing Aukus relationship is prompting a realignment of defence interests acknowledging the rising power of regional giants, a change that long ago happened in the cricketing world.

Greg Chappell, who also led the Indian team, said last week that England was “the classic foe”, but also that “to be fair, without India, cricket wouldn’t be the same”.

The Ultimate Test

Until Australia won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy last summer, India had held it for a decade. On the subcontinent, Australia haven’t won in over two decades. Even if the home side reclaim the Ashes comfortably this summer, losing the multi-match series in India in early 2027 would leave the Cummins era unfulfilled.

That elusive victory on the Indian soil remains the ultimate test for today's players, and a blip against England this summer – attributed to unfortunate bowler injury, similar to past incidents – would only add to the narrative.

England have not secured a victory in Australia for nearly fifteen years, and despite the history, it won't support a lopsided rivalry forever. Therefore, with a gaudy, engrossing India having recently departed, the English squad have a lot at stake. Win the series and stay relevant. Or lose the urn and with it something that can’t be won back: the claim to being the top opponent. We beg the English, raise your game.