Australia won the Ashes in twelve days playing superb cricket, despite starting the series under pressure
Have Australia been good or have England been bad? Obviously, this is the only way to analyse the Ashes. And it allows us to fling open the door to a frenzy of sizzling takes through its zero sum, binary veneer.
“Hapless England” certainly makes for engaging copy. Not only can we pick at the carcass of an on-field humiliation, but we can opine on the macro social, cultural and economic forces that shape Haseeb Hameed’s low hands. It allows David Warner to gift advice on syntho preparation. The Barmy Army can become cricket’s version of an industry lobbyist. And while “Chris Cooke bowling spells the death of Test cricket” might offer a lively conversation point, it conveniently ignores the fact he actually hoops them.