We are getting seriously close to the start of the 2009 Ashes, meaning that millions of cricket fans around the world will be getting excited about watching one of the oldest rivalries in sport – England v Australia.
There is no doubt that the last series in England between these two sides, back in 2005, was an extraordinary battle. So much so, it is hard to convince anyone that the same excitement, interest and passion can be generated again this time around.
One thing that can be recreated though is the closeness of the series. Even more so than in 2005, England and Australia are very evenly matched. The Aussies are obviously higher in the rankings, but their form has been inconsistent of late and many believe they are not the force they were.
England on the other hand have home advantage and a bit more momentum. Convincing performances against the West Indies earlier this summer have created a feel good factor about the test team and a number of players, like Ravi Bopara and Stuart Broad, are coming of age at just the right time.
All things considered, it is going to be a close series. So much so that the preparation for each team is crucial. With this in mind, let’s take a look at the positive and negative things to take from the respective warm-up games ahead of the first test.
AUSTRALIA v England Lions
Positive – Mike Hussey is in the runs after a very patchy run of form. He scored 150 against the Lions and this will do his confidence no end of good.
Negative – Phil Hughes’ two innings against the Lions will go down as a waste. He scored 7 and 8, both times dismissed by Steve Harmison.
Positive – Brett Lee hasn’t played too much cricket recently, so to see him get 6-76 against the Lions will be very positive indeed for Ponting and co.
Negative – Mitchell Johnson only managed one wicket in the Lions innings and this was only the one of Tim Bresnan. Perhaps he isn’t as dangerous as England once thought?
ENGLAND v Warwickshire
Positive – Alistair Cook seems in fine form. The opener followed up his century for Essex in the Twenty20 cup with another one against Warwickshire.
Negative – Kevin Pietersen hasn’t been able to make the most out of this game with scores of 1 and 6. He hasn’t played much cricket recently, so it will be interesting to see if he can turn it on when it matters.
Positive – James Anderson’s swing bowling could be key to England’s Ashes hopes. Therefore, it is pleasing to see him take 5-34 in this match. If he gets it right, he is such a huge threat.
Negative – The third and final day looks set to be very restricted because of the weather and this reduces practice time for England.
In all fairness, the way these two warm-up games have gone could offer no indication to what is to come in the next couple of months.
However, if a decent innings (Hussey, Cook) or a positive bowling display (Lee, Anderson) boosts a player’s confidence by even the smallest amount, it could be the difference between the two sides in what will be a very tough series for both sides.
Make sure you’re keeping up to date with the Lords Test odds for your 2009 ashes betting! If you need to get in the betting mood, check out Betfair’s new fanvfan site.












The 2009 Ashes tour of England begins in less than 12 hours and perhaps predictably, Australia have injury concerns with Shane Watson’s fitness.
I have always been an admirer of Alec Stewart. I never held it against him because he played for England, there was always something about him as a cricketer that caught my imagination. Was it his great work ethos, competitiveness or his cricketing ability? Whatever the answer, they are just some of his traits many people, myself included, admired about the Chelsea loving cricketer. 



