Tuesday 25 August 2009

"Is that the Ashes? Yes, England have won the Ashes."

Well bugger me with a fish fork. Did anyone really think we'd not only win back the Ashes, but do so in such an emphatic manner? After the depression of Headingley it's been unbelievable to come back up to such glorious highs. So much so that it's all quite surreal. None of it seems to have sunk in just yet.

That last-gasp survival in Cardiff seems a long, long time ago now. No one that day thought we'd win the bloody series and it looked like we were just delaying the inevitable. With hindsight, that seemed to be the moment that gave England the belief that they could win back that little urn.

Everything just seemed to click at the Oval. Strauss, Bell, Trott and Swann getting some good scores - excellent in Trott's case, a hell of a debut. Broad getting a Michelle, Flintoff's brilliant run-out of Ponting... Everything fell into place.

Of course, there's now questions of just where do we go from here? Flintoff will be missed greatly and, of course, there's still huge question marks over many in the side. South Africa will be a much harder ask for our players. Will they be up to it? Who knows? But for know, it's just time to sit back and bask in the glory.

Have that you Aussie bastards.