sport news PAUL NEWMAN: Buckle up for a thrill-a-minute Ashes ride: It has all the ... trends now
It was the image that summed up the whole sorry saga of another Ashes debacle in Australia. Ollie Robinson, backing away, bowled by Pat Cummins in Hobart and England’s latest humiliation was complete. How different it all looks now.
Fast forward 18 months and a completely new, transformed and hugely exciting England will take on Australia here at Edgbaston on Friday in the most eagerly anticipated Ashes since Michael Vaughan’s side captivated the nation in 2005.
Nobody typifies that transformation more than Robinson. Then he was a symbol of all that was wrong with English cricket. Indisciplined and unfit for purpose even by the public admission of his own bowling coach, Jon Lewis.
Now he has turned into England’s version of his hero Glenn McGrath, making confident predictions of giving Australia ‘a good hiding’ and, more importantly, bowling with all the skill and penetration of one of the greatest seam bowlers of them all.
That’s what Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum have done to this England team. Not just to Robinson but everywhere you look. From a reborn opener in Ben Duckett; to a No 3 and vice-captain full of swagger and confidence in Ollie Pope; to the new star of English cricket in Harry Brook; to a rejuvenated Jonny Bairstow and, most significantly of all, to encourageing the old bowling firm of Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad to learn new tricks.
Ahead of the Ashes nobody typifies England's transformation more than Ollie Robinson, who has improved significantly
Ben Stokes' talented England side are raring to go ahead of what is shaping up to be a classic Ashes series this summer
England's continued backing of Zak Crawley has reached the point where it defies most cricketing logic
OK, it has not all been plain sailing. England’s backing of Zak Crawley has reached the point where it defies most cricketing logic but his continued selection and presence at the top of the order on Friday has at least sent out a message to the game. If this regime rates you they will not take a blind bit of notice of the outside noise. They are adamant Crawley can make a big impact in this Ashes and if he fails more often than he succeeds, so be it. It is a policy that encourages loyalty and has eradicated the fear of failure. Even Moeen Ali has come out of red-ball retirement to join in the fun.
From the rock bottom of that Australian shambles and the miserable defeat by West Indies that followed, which left England with the pitiful record of one win in 17 Tests, to what must be the best and most dramatic turnarounds of any side in any major sport.
It is impossible to exaggerate what England have done over the last 12 months and impossible, too, to overestimate the importance of the way they are playing to the future health of the greatest format of the game, not just in England but worldwide. They are putting a smile back on the face of Test cricket, defying all accepted logic, and inspiring a new generation more than any new gimmicky format can ever do.
Pat Cummins has done something which looked impossible after Sandpapergate - he has made the Aussies likeable
The old enemy are in town to provide the biggest examination of Bazball yet, and it should prove to be a thrilling watch
It will be intriguing if Stuart Broad bowls at his old sparring partner David Warner - it would really get the crowd going
And now comes its greatest test. The old enemy are in town to provide the biggest examination of Bazball yet and one that has the potential to again get everyone in the country watching two heavyweights slugging it out over five Tests in six and a half weeks.
