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Being an Englishman writing on an Australian website about the Ashes is probably something I’ll have to do with great tact and tread the line with caution.
Having just won the series, I’ve obviously got great emotions about it, but the one standout feeling that I’ll always look back on is the sheer number of English fans who went out to Australia with the Barmy Army and made their voices heard in support of the English national side.
And on reflection, they (or we in my case) have done it around the world for a number of years in numbers, which simply haven’t been matched by any other nation. It was a sight to behold – and a proud one.
Even when we were getting smashed around in all those previous Ashes series and continually coming on the wrong end of the results, the Barmy Army kept on cheering (in sometimes alcohol-induced quantities) and showed the dedication which is unmatched, in my humble opinion, worldwide.
It must have been a bittersweet experience for the Australian people and government, because although you lost a series convincingly, you will have gained a massive boost to the economy because of the Ashes series and because of the Barmy Army, with the flux of cash brought into bars, restaurants, hotels, shops and pretty much any other business sector you could think of.
But why would this be allowed to happen in terms of Australians being massively outnumbered at their own grounds?
My two passions are rugby and cricket, and either Twickenham or Lords are always sold out regardless of whether the national side is strong or piss poor.
Is it that one too many an Australian supporter are fair-weather?
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