ASHES MORNINGS (2)

I know that I'm not in the best of places emotionally at the moment, but, so far at least, this latest Ashes series is turning out to be something of a disappointment to this listener, but not, perhaps, for the reasons you might think.

After all, I'm pessimistic enough and realistic enough to know that any expectations that the tourists might actually come home having retained the thing were slim at best, and the weight of history would also suggest that victory down under was most unlikely, so my expectations in that area were, at the very least, being lived down to during the first game.

I've listened to so-called "England" games for long enough now to fully expect them to self-destruct at any moment or not be able to capitalise on a strong position, and both situations came to pass during that first game and quite naturally lived down to my expectations.

No, what's disappointed me is the spirit that the games are being played in, all of that on-and-off-field hatred and loathing that I, as a naive person with a soul which remains slightly hopeful that one area of my life will remained unsullied by that sort of aggressive behaviour.

I still like to believe that cricket is a game played to higher standards than other games and that it is played by "gentlemen" (and I'm not forgetting women's cricket here, by the way) with a spirit of good sportsmanship and a sense of fair play and appreciation of a good game played rather than this insidious need to just win at all costs no matter what it takes and hang the consequences.

I know...

Hopelessly naive and completely lacking in competitiveness, those have always been faults of mine.

But then I'd always prefer to see a great game lost, than a bloody one won, and I've never been much of a one for appreciating "matey banter" at the expense of others, so I'm unlikely to understand where the boundary is crossed from "gentle ribbing" to full on "abuse" when I usually find the former fairly abusive anyway.

And it's not as if you can really hold the Australian media and players responsible for the tetchy mood that's currently been on display, either. From their point of view, they're only giving as good as they perceive they got when playing over here during the summer when "Aussie Bashing" seemed to become the chosen game of the kind of supporters who haven't been around long enough to appreciate the ebbing and flowing of cricket fortunes, or are far more used to hurling abuse from the terraces during the winter months.

I'd maintain that it was only a small "rogue element" that were playing up to that back then, and that they've taken the actions of the "lowest common denominator" and run with it full tilt, which is their wont as a great sporting nation.

The problem is that, given a few beers and a mob mentality, the "gentlemanly" spirit can soon be washed away and replaced with a more aggressive point of view, but it's not one that I'm entirely comfortable with, although I suppose if it's what the majority wants, then it's what they're likely to get, and it's only "old-fashioned" coves like I am who'll lament its loss.

Meanwhile, overnight, the second match of the series began in Adelaide and, because I had another of those restless nights which are becoming almost the norm for me nowadays, once again I got up far, far before the crack of dawn to find out how the first day had developed, and found Australia were 135 for 1 at about the half way point of a normal day's play, which sounded about right, with the BBC Website headline claiming that Australia were "dominating" England's bowlers.

'Twas ever thus...