Ashes 2009
24 August 2009
The 2009 Ashes has been dubbed ‘the pendulum series’. Such has been the exchanges in momentum, as fortunes have swung and chances swooped upon. Hearts have fluttered, performances have fluctuated, one-way traffic this series has been not.
The statistics deceive the true nature of this series. Australia took more wickets, and among them, the Australians have scored ten centuries to England’s two. And still the 2009 Ashes came down to the series finale, ultimately decided by a devastating bowling spell, a handful of sharp run-outs and a South African, batting on debut, in a cloud of dust.
It is reaching within, and seizing the opportunity, what professional sportspeople often refer to as ‘digging deep’. To recall Michael Clarke on the fourth afternoon at Lord’s, fighting back in a test in which both fortunes and performances had eluded his team, provides an example of delving into one own psyche, to utilise one’s talent and to deliver a performance.
Continue Reading