Thank you Andy Murray and every other knocked-out Brit at Wimbledon. Thank you poor old Mark Cavendish, nobbled by malign Fate at the Tour de France. Thank you even Eddie Jones and the Wallabies in Pretoria after the usual Eddie-the-Lip verbals were shown to be so much bluster.
By Sunday morning there were no distractions, no voices off, no rival attractions. Cricket was left to hold centre stage on yet another theatrical Headingley mid-summer’s afternoon. It didn’t disappoint. It gave us yet another test match for posterity, rich in incident and dramatic to the last flash of Chris Woakes’ blade to settle the match in England’s favour and keep the Ashes alive.
We thought we had hit the cricketing heights with the 2005 series, for its twists-and-turns and stellar, stand-out performances. The 2023 iteration will yield as much thumbing of Wisden pages in years to come with recollections of peaks-and-trough matches, defiant, heroic performances from individuals in both camps – Mark Wood in white, Mitch Marsh in Aussie gold-and-green to name but two from an ever-lengthening roster – some bite and snarl, some mateship across the divide too.
And, yes, we did all begin to doubt the merits of Bazball, start to question the unwavering proselyting of its advocates, all the more so when you see the champ of 2022, Jonny Bairstow, slashing and burning almost every time he comes to the crease. Even with a healthy average for the series, Joe Root no longer looks like Joe Root when he is out in the middle, calm and composed, playing the right shot at the right time, as elegant and unruffled as any of the greats down the years. He’s been Bazzed.
Bazball was surely on the line at Headingly on Sunday. If England had blown it – and with England on 27-0 still requiring 224 to win it was far from a gimme even if a fourth innings chase at Headingly is considered one of the easier gigs on the circuit – the inquest would have had to have been probing.
The Aussies, too, had the bit between their teeth. No matter that they had fallen foul of the conditions on a chastening Saturday evening, losing their last six wickets for 108 and needing Travis Head to dig them out of a hole, they could have wrapped up the series on Sunday, been hailed to the heavens back home as world champions and the first Australian team to win a series in England since 2001. That’s quite a motivational spur to take into a day’s play, all the more so when you’ve got the talent of Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc to call on.
Chris Woakes celebrates dismissing Alex Carey. (Photo by Stu Forster – ECB/ECB via Getty Images)
Sure, you might be able to gripe that England had the best of the weather to get them across the line. It was miserable on Saturday evening when play did start but that is exactly what you want in test cricket. It is what makes it what it is – a test of everything across five days if necessary, of skill and technique, of character and temperament and of luck. That is what makes it special. It can be capricious and unfair. The rub of the green can go whichever way it damn well pleases. It fell for England at Headingly. And they made best use of it to win a real nerve-shredder.
Bazball, then, lives. There is no turning back. And there probably wouldn’t have been even if Australia had wrapped it up. Our heart-rates face the prospect of more heightened activity when the series resumes at Old Trafford in ten days’ time. The Ashes 2023 was sold to us a five act thriller. It’s living up to billing.
A Word For The Good Guys
Mark Wood, Chris Woakes and Mitch Marsh. They waited their turn for all sorts of different reasons, much as they have always done. And they all got due return. And how. Wood and Woakes are terrific cricketers in their own right but also proper blokes. And from what we saw in the manner of Marsh’s prodigious knock of 118 from 118 balls in the first inning and his wry tone in the press conference (not to mention the wild family celebrations from a bar in Bali) Marsh seems to be cut from the same cloth. Good guys do get to go to the party after all.
Wood was named Man-of-the-Match for his electrifying opening spell on the first day, banishing all those echoes of the turgid pitches at Edgbaston and Lord’s, with the ball whizzing through in excess of 90mph. There has never been a better sight in cricket than the ball speeding down the track, the batsman narrowing his eyes and maybe tensing his body for the impact and the clip cordon waiting like vultures for any nick.
From Harold Larwood to Ray Lindwall, Lille and Thomson, Hall and Griffiths and so many other venomous West Indian line-ups and now in this test to Wood, a man who has suffered for his cause. It was hard to credit the statistic doing the rounds on Sunday morning that Wood has missed 80 tests for one reason or another, notably injury or selection, since making his debut in 2015. That’s perseverance for you.
Chris Woakes celebrates with Mark Wood after hitting the winning runs. (Photo by Ashley Allen/Getty Images)
His bowling was a class apart with his batting not far behind. To rival the 80 test stat comes yet another belter. Wood’s rapid-fire batting – 24 off eight balls in the first innings and another 16 at the death gave him a tally of 40 runs in 16 balls from an unprecedented strike-rate of 250. Fabulous stuff. He was there at the end with his mucker, Chris Woakes, who took six wickets across the piece and was there valiantly at the end, 32 not out.
Old Trafford and the Oval
Stick or twist for England? Selection is going to be a teaser with Jimmy Anderson due to return for his home test at Old Trafford. Lord’s Ashes debutant, Josh Tongue, is also in the mix after supposedly being ‘rested’ for Headingly. Moeen Ali to continue at no.3, enabling Harry Brook to bat in his preferred position of no.5? And how can you think to leave Chris Woakes on the sidelines? You can’t. As for Jonny Bairstow – just how much longer can England persevere with him as wicket-keeper. It’s painful to watch. It’s time (again) for change.
Mick Cleary, who was Daily Telegraph rugby correspondent ( 1997-2021), was also a sports feature writer for The Observer ( 1988-1997). Cleary has covered eight Rugby World Cups as well as seven Lions tours. He was written several books on those tournaments and tours as well as worked with Jeremy Guscott on his autobiography. Cleary has also had extensive experience of other sports including tennis at Wimbledon, cycling at the Tour de France and golf at The Open. Cricket, athletics , horse racing and F1 also feature on his CV.
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