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Michael Slater predicts that Australia will win the 2010-11 Ashes 3-1. As to be expected, former England captain Tony Greig, disagrees. He predicts England to win 2-1.
Ever the diplomat, Richie Benaud believes the series will be 2-2 before the final Test in Sydney.
Shane Warne refused to speculate. “I’m not going to say like Pigeon [Glenn McGrath] that Australia will win 5-zip.” Then in a light-hearted vein he showed some similarities between him and Tiger Woods, as all present guffawed and clapped. This was at the Ashes launch at the SCG organized by Channel 9, Cricket Australia, Vodafone and Victoria Bitter (VB).
Like many Australians (including the media), Warne is disappointed that Nathan Hauritz has been sacked from the Australian team for the Brisbane Test starting on Thursday. And in some cases, the same media who are now criticizing the selectors for axing Hauritz were previously after Hauritz’s blood themselves. You can’t please everyone, can you?
In my preferred team, as published on The Roar last week, I had also omitted Hauritz.
Back to the Cricket Australia function at the SCG. Mingling with the media and corporate CEOs was the Channel 9 TV team and current players Ricky Ponting, Simon Katich and Doug Bollinger among others.
Mark Nicholas was the Master of Ceremonies and he started the extravaganza with a breathtaking Ashes footage on a huge screen. It depicted the Best of Ashes heroes from Don Bradman to Ponting via Benaud and Warney.
Nicholas first interviewed Ponting, Katich and Bollinger. Ponting said that he was still as passionate about the game as he was when he played his first Test. He also stated that before the tour of India a couple of months ago, the Australian cricketers trained along with pilots to focus their concentration and boost their confidence.
Katich and Bollinger were looking forward to play their first Ashes Tests in Australia.
Benaud recalled the first Ashes Test he had heard on radio when he was only five. Greig declared that his childhood hero was Douglas Jardine who had given Bradman a tough time in the Bodyline series of 1932-33.
Slater recalled the 1993 Lord’s Ashes Test when he scored a brilliant 152. “On that tour I did not expect to play a Test. And when I scored THAT century at Lord’s, I was so emotional that I kissed the crest on my baggy green cap.”
At the conclusion, the CEO of VB beer promised free beer to every Australian over the age of 18 provided Australia regains the Ashes.
That means 14 million beer cans littering the streets of Australia on January 8 if Ponting overcomes England skipper Andrew Strauss’s challenge. Going on current form, I doubt it.
Yesterday was the ribbon-cutting ceremony of the International Cricket Hall of Fame at the Bradman Museum in Bowral. Among those present were Test cricketers Richie and John Benaud, Neil Harvey, Brian Booth and the former Prime Minister John Howard.
Ricky Ponting, the Global Ambassador for this Hall of Fame, could not attend as he has a much more serious job on hand: Beat the cocky Englishmen in the Brisbane Test.