The Ashes Test 5 Day 1

England is in the grip of an unprecedented cricket fever. When a football-crazy nation proclaims in one voice that a cricket Test is the greatest sporting event in its history in the last 39 years, you have to sit up and take notice. Finally, cricket is no longer a game just for the guys, it is for all - young and old, male and female, black and white.

Last week Mrs. Flintoff very aptly said that she was glad that her husband is a cricketer not a footballer so that he is loved all over the country; not loved in one part and hated in the other. Truly, by its very nationalistic nature and the immense pride which is at stake in an international game, cricket has more potential as a national unifier than any other game. In football, the national team comes together only at World Cups and the Euros and that too where most of its stars arrive to represent their nations after playing overseas most of the time. I would like to know from the English fans what their opinions are on this cricket v football issue in particular regard to nationalism and what sentiments are aroused resultantly. If they agree with me in my hypothesis, why is it that cricket was so completely overshadowed by football up until this summer ??

So the whole country is cricket-crazy right now and while one wonders how long this euphoria will last, it needs to be cherished nevetherless. Just one word of warning though. The England cricket team and the ECB should not get carried away with it. If reports are to be believed, the arrangements are already in place for the cricketers to be paraded if they retain the Ashes. For God's sake, make sure you win the Ashed first, then talk about parades. This is just the kind of idea that is likely to give the players a sense of having already got home and let their guard down a bit. For the sake of England, I hope that that does not happen.

Coming to the game, the day dawned bright ane clear, not a cloud in the sky. The 25K capacity Brit Oval was packed to the rafters and when the two English batsmen walked out, the applause was deafening. England has hosted four World Cups, but I doubt if ever before this brilliant atmosphere was matched. It tends to happen at times at the MCG and at the Eden Gardens although sadly Indian audiences are not mature enough to appreciate real cricket and are more keen on the shorter version of the game. But this was just a moment to remember.

Coming to the game, what more can one say about Shane Warne ? With England off to a flyer, I was just thinking - OK let's see what Warne can do here - first morning, flat wicket, batsmen off to a flyer - all the adverse conditions and befire I had completed my thought process the champion had already got into the act. Relying purely on skill, intelligence and mental strength, he almost singlehandedly put Australia on top in the game. For a leg-spinner to take 4 wickets on the first morning of a test, 3 of them before lunch is just tremendous. But the image that will remain etched on the mind forever would be the destruction of Pietersen's stumps and the look on the faces of both batsman and bowler following that.

This was not a magical ball ala Mike Gatting, Basit Ali or Andrew Strauss but the way he priced out Pietersen was precious. Pietersen has this tendency of playing Warne towards mid-wicket and the genius lured him into the trap perfectly before spinning one through bat and pad. Pietersen was shell-shocked, Warne while celebrating emphatically, wore a look of smug satisfaction, of a plan executed to perfection.

Warne looked more and more like the leader Australia have lacked in this series. While he was always giving Ponting advice, on the field earlier, today it almost seemed to me he appeared to have taken matters in his own hands, directing fielders and encouraging bowlers while himself bowling nearly half of the overs of the day. You might be wondering if I have forgotten that there is another team playing in this series in the course of writing this post and that is actually the better team at the moment. My apologies to the English for drifting away so completely towards the Australian performance. Much as I wanted England to win the Ashes at the start of the series (and I had even started a series of advices) I can't help feeling sad for Warne and McGrath for they really do not deserve to lose. They are two of the greatest champions of the generation (also Gilchrist I think) so a part of me really wants the three of them to fire at their best and pull off a win for Australia. However, another part wishes England to take the trophy to bring an end to Aussie dominance and arrogance - most specifically that of Ricky Ponting, whom I never really liked as a person and a leader (great batsman that he is)

At the end of day 1, the match seems more or less in the balance, and I'm sure a part of me will have got what it wants at the end - Question is which part ??