subject: The Ashes 2010: First stop Brisbane@ The Gabba [print this page] The Ashes 2010: First stop Brisbane@ The Gabba
I think I'm the only one in my place of work (or at least, the upstairs bit) eagerly anticipating the start of England's defence of the Ashes, beginning tomorrow night at 23:00 GMT at Brisbane's famous old ground, The Gabba.
I was meant to be heading to Australia this winter but various events unfolded meaning I've had to postpone my trip of a lifetime for a few years. I've always dreamed of sitting there in the sun with the England fans, taking in the sights of Sydney and Brisbane. Oh well, it gives me a few extra years to save I suppose.
This time around, England have actually got the Ashes, and to retain them we only to draw the 5 match series, but the mood amongst cricket fans and indeed the players is that this year, we're going there to win them again and beat the Aussies in their own backyard.
Such confidence can often bring about a downfall, who can forget the last fateful tour Down Under in 2006/7 when we went there defending the Ashes only to crash to a humiliating 5-0 whitewash. The usual pre match banter has already begun, but this time around there's a good amount of shared respect which is always nice to see. It is a gentleman's game, after all.
There's no doubt though that in cricketing terms, you'd have to say that England are in the ascendancy in the build up to face their old enemy, indeed they haven't lost a test series in some time, whilst Australia are still smarting from recent defeats which have piled the pressure on their captain fantastic, Ricky Ponting.
