Barry: Cricket’s Ashes gamesmanship leaves a bitter taste

Jul 15 2009 by Barry Gibson, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

ON a similar laddish theme, I enjoyed the finale of the first Ashes test on Sunday.

Regular readers may remember that I wrote a few weeks ago about my mixed feelings when England play anyone at anything.

To summarise in one line, I know that cheering on the other team is wrong, but it feels so right.

So there I was slumped in front of the TV on Sunday afternoon, watching what I assumed would be a straightforward Australian victory against the hapless Poms – and promising myself I wouldn’t cheer when the final English batsmen was dispatched to the pavilion.

But somehow I never got to test my self-control.

Having dismissed nine English batsmen, the Aussies just couldn’t get that last wicket.

For 35 minutes, bowlers Monty Panesar and Jimmy Anderson – who just about know which end of the bat to hold – defied the Aussies.