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How to make the Ashes exciting

Roar Pro
19th December, 2017
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Josh Hazlewood was superb all series. (AAP Image/Dave Hunt)
Roar Pro
19th December, 2017
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With the Ashes won by Australia and with two Tests left to play, organisers and fans alike are searching for ways of making the rest of the series interesting, aside from the obvious answer that seems to be the solution to most English cricketing problems: drinking responsibly.

So how to keep the series interesting? Here are a few ideas.

Adopt a Pom
Similar to the ‘Adopt a Highway’ schemes, allow fans or groups of fans to support one of the English team, giving them some interest in the English team’s success for the remainder.

The scheme could get even more interesting by introducing perks when the player does well, including a coffee with Mark Stoneman after a commendable 50, a trip to the hospital with Craig Overton after every other session or a fine duck dinner with Alastair Cook.

Let the people choose
While I personally would never entertain it, many of the Australian public have been critical of the Australian selectors in the past.

Given the selectors have managed to put a winning team on the park, it only seems right that the viewing public is given the same chance now with the series won, and what better way than a fried chicken-inspired dial-in?

Fans could vote for who they want on the team and who they want off it. If Cricket Australia wanted to get really funky, they could also let fans nominate full teams based on themes, such as a team made exclusively of every Australian captain since Bill Lawry or a team made exclusively of every spinner picked since Warnie.

I don’t know about you, but a batting attack including Dan Cullen and Beau Casson is enough to get me interested.

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(Philip Brown/Getty Images)

Get back
The first tour of England by an Australian team was made up entirely of Aboriginal players who not only played cricket on the tour but also gave boomerang-throwing demonstrations and took part in hurdles races between play.

While the hurdles might seem a little unnecessary, I’d love to see which Ashes team could win a tug of war or an egg and spoon race. I dare say the betting agencies would be pretty supportive of this too.

Steve Smith may have scored more runs than Joe Root this series, but could he beat him at chess boxing?

Learn from the women’s team
The Women’s Ashes was recently finished, with the Australian team winning the little trophy in a contest that was decided over all three formats of cricket.

Changing the format of the Ashes may shake up tradition, but World Series Cricket did the same and kept all formats interesting and popular while also bringing delightfully coloured clothing to the sport.

England may not be able to field a team that can stay sober or uninjured over five days, but 20 overs may be a real possibility for them.

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Glenn Maxwell
The people’s prince. Get him in the series. I don’t care who for – England, Australia or just playing on his own team – but it’d certainly be something that would excite the fans.

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