Ashes: Australia Look For Revenge On English Soil

The last two Ashes series have been dramatic contradictions of each other and Australia, while retaining the Ashes, have something to prove again in England.
As play gets underway at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff for the first Ashes Test between England and Australia, Australia have bitter memories from their 2005 Ashes series. England, led by Michael Vaughan, staged a dramatic victory after the drubbing at Lord’s to fashion a win that defied nearly two decades old history.
Australia were stung as Ricky Ponting became the first captain since Allan Border to lose the Ashes. Since then, Shane Warne and Glen McGrath have retired and have taken with them over time, the likes of Damien Martyn, Justin Langer (who featured in the British Asian Cup for the Rajasthan Royals briefly two days ago), Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist.
With Brett Lee not taking part in the first two Tests, the Australian bowling line up led by Mitchell Johnson will be an inexperienced one on England soil in that none of the bowlers have played in the Ashes here before.
Apart from Simon Katich and vice captain Michael Clarke, Ponting has had a tough one year period when he has gone from saying how difficult it was to lead a young, inexperienced team in Australia against South Africa to stating how elated he was about the young keepers of the game in the Test series in South Africa.
Now there is the matter of revenge. Andrew Flintoff burnt his fingers as Australia regained the Ashes on home turf in the 2006-’07 series by a 5-0 whitewash. That would have not only scarred England but also, belittled their efforts when they did gain the Ashes, albeit briefly.
While England have had their ups and downs with Michael Vaughan first relinquishing the captaincy a year ago to his eventual retirement just days before the Ashes, their team appears marginally more settled than the Australians who have been in two minds about their quality of their spinner, Nathan Hauritz, with suggestions from former players even suggesting Australia to try and go at the spinner’s role with a combined effort from Clarke and Katich. The absence of Andrew Symonds would have also dealt a blow where experience, grit and aggression could have been so handy. In a toss up between Andrew MacDonald and Marcus North, North’s century against South Africa has won him the nod and not necessitated the part time bowler in MacDonald.
Now it comes down to whether England can capitalize on their settled line up or if Australia can produce something from their seeming uncertainties. While it matters for the individual teams to win this prestigious series, the cricket fans would certainly not want a repeat of the last Ashes, in Australia.

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Where are you off to, England?