So its back to that time again when every England and Australian cricket fan start biting their nails in anticipation of the battle ahead that will lead to the victors gaining crickets most prestigious prize: The Ashes.Australia has announced a surprising squad in some ways, with All Rounder Andrew McDonald being preferred over Andrew Symonds. This has been debated for a long time now whether or not a person who has repeatedly violated the Cricket Australia code of conduct should be given the honour of playing for his country and now it appears his previous misdemeanours may have counted against him in his race for the ashes squad.
In 2008 Symonds was sent back to Queensland after missing a team meeting before a game to go fishing and was also fined heavily and reprimanded after calling New Zealand Wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum “a piece of s**t” and said that he loved to have dinner with team mate Matthew Hayden because he could look at Hayden’s wife.
It also appears that Cricket Australia has decided to go in a new younger direction than in previous years as this squad will feature 11 players who will be making their first ashes tour and one uncapped player in Wicketkeeper Graham Manou who will be providing the cover for first choice keeper Brad Haddin.
One player for Australia who everybody’s eye will be on is young Australian opening batsman Phillip Hughes who burst onto the scenes with over 400 runs in 3 test matches against South Africa and has been playing for Middlesex since the county season began and has scored almost 900 runs in 13 innings, and from an English perspective lets hope he doesn’t keep that up throughout the ashes.
So with the rain beginning to stop and the summer rolling on cricket fans everywhere are turning their attention to the debuting stadium in Cardiff that will not only hold its first Ashes Test Match but its first Test Match ever. So bring on the sun and bring on the Australians as all eyes focus on the SWALEC Stadium and the opening day of the 2009 Ashes Series on the 8th July 2009.
