Recidivist spent this Monday in the company of Brother, Sister-in-Law and (nolonger)Drunk at the Oval. After a summer of following the spectacular series, even spending much of my time during the Leeds festival huddled round a small radio with Grumpy outside our tent, it was with immense joy and trepidation that I travelled to the ground on Monday morning, laughing as the tube pulled in at Oval station and the driver announced ‘change here for the ashes’.
The morning passed in a tormented blur. Hardly a word was exchanged between the four of us, as the three of us able to imbibe did so and took in the mini collapse which preceded Pieterson’s innings.
The afternoon saw the dispersal of all the tension and a slow hope that we were going to make it. By tea time Brother was wondering why we didn’t declare and try and bowl the Aussies out, and shortly after, when rain stopped play, we knew that we were witnessing a bit of cricket history.
But it’s the antics since which have amused me enough to move me to write this. The lovely news of the joyous partying of the players has been widely reported on the front as well as the back pages of tabloid and broadsheet alike. I heard this morning on the radio that for Pieterson, the two day celebration is so much of a blur that “I don’t remember anything about going to No 10. I don’t even remember shaking the hand of the prime minister. ”
Back in his home of South Africa, I have been told by members of the family who live there, the billboards are proudly proclaiming ‘South African wins the ashes.’
The Paula Yates joke doing the rounds is perhaps inevitable, but most of the celebrations have been good natured and have shown that we can be gracious as a nation. Even on the day, Warne was the player who got the largest cheer from the crowd, no doubt delighted to have had the opportunity to see such a phenomenal sportsman playing, and the Australians in the crowd took no abuse whatsoever.
My favourite display of subtle gloating, though, is the fact that the Royal Mail is creating an Ashes commemorative stamp design – which will adorn the first class stamp as well as the 68p one required to post a letter to Australia.