Ashes series tonic for cricket’s soul

The Ashes series in the English summer will be the focus of the cricket world. It is absolutely essential that a series about which we can think the least evil in this day and age should be played as a counterpoint to the former IPL commissioner’s tweets, which are having not only the game in a tizzy but also opens up the entire spectrum of Indian politics to scrutiny, and politicians as well.

What cricket needs most now is a tonic for its soul. There must come a time when we can forget all the alleged sleaze and corruption and see cricket played purely as a sport and not as a commercial vehicle benefiting a select group of people whose wheels-within-wheels cronyism leads to all kinds of complications that are the stuff of tabloid media dreams.

Whatever these cricketers may do when they turn out in their liveried costumes in all kinds of garish colours, with advertisements covering every square inch of visible clothing, they are unlikely to sell out an Ashes game to bookmakers, official or unofficial.

That guarantee alone should make the forthcoming series something to look forward to. Of course, the culture of cricket seems to have changed and limited-overs cricket, despite its commercial claptrap, may have contributed handsomely to the modernisation of all formats of the game.

The pace at which the New Zealand — England series was played was emblematic of how much the game has moved on since the World Cup set cricket alight with its vibrant and very positive energy.

Seeing how much England has improved after seeing the fearless cricketing ways of the Kiwis, India must feel left behind somewhat although it would be unfair to judge them on what one wiry left arm seamer with a disguised slower ball did to muddle their batsmen’s minds.

What the World Cup did to the game was to raise every team’s thinking. Yesterday’s 300 totals seem to be today’s 400 and phenomenal chases of the kind that lit up the series between the Kiwis and the Poms are becoming reasonably commonplace.

But then you would also need very good batting pitches of an even bounce to present the perfect stage for such attacking cricket. The tendency of subcontinental pitches to slow up in the course of a day’s cricket is not a good sign.

It is a pity that the tour by the Kiwis was seen only as a precursor to the Ashes although going by reports it appears Michael Clarke’s Ashes opening press conference came like an anticlimax to the thrills of the short series, which did so much to invigorate not only the spirit of cricket but also the very nature of how it is played with this fresh modern approach of seizing every moment being a very recent phenomenon.

The England one-day side seemed a transformed outfit unrecognisable from the bobtail and ragtag outfit that was at the World Cup. Some of the new confidence may have rubbed off on the Test team too.

There is already talk that the Aussies have not performed all that well outside their home environment, which is borne out by the fact that the last away Ashes they won was in 2001. Given the frequency of Ashes series, a decade and a half is a long time.

Clarke’s men won’t be lacking in the ability to talk on the field and rile opponents. Curiously, as in build-ups to boxing bouts, they are getting as much ‘lip’ as they are giving. But then, we are inured to such pre-series banter.

The series will probably be decided by the quality of the attacks and how the opposing batting line-ups stand up to them. History points to a closer series than the Test rankings may suggest. Whether the sparks fly or not, the verbals will.