31 July

A BBC sports journalist described the 2-2 Ashes outcome as a fair result. But ‘England would have won if the 4th Test hadn’t been washed out’. Let’s play that what if game. The series would have been different if: - England hadn’t won 4 of the 5 tosses - England didn’t so often get to bat in the sunshine and bowl under clouds - England didn’t get to swap for a near-new ball at 40 overs in the last Test, when Australia was plundering the English bowling - Nathan Lyon hadn’t been unavailable for most of the series - Key Australian batsmen hadn’t been in terrible form - England had managed to take more than one wicket in the whole session they got at Australia in the washed-out Test. Etc. Imagine drawing, at home, with all that on your side. As the English say, a clear ‘moral’ victory to the Australians, who managed to retain the Ashes despite that list of what-ifs. Not world champions for nothing. The English have now drawn 3 of the last 5 home series, with Bazball. Home games! An embarrassment.