The six stages of Ashes grief

Describing sporting defeats in terms of grief is obviously way over the top. Yet for England cricket fans having to endure another difficult Ashes tour down under, the 2024/25 series seems to be following that all too familiar pattern.

A cycle that has often been repeated during English winters since 1990 - bar one glorious exception - you would think that most of us would have learned by now. But we do it to ourselves, we do. And that's what really hurts.

So join me as we take a stroll through a typical English winter of hope, disappointments, sleepless nights, anger, realisation and the occasional moments of humour. An Ashes in Australia; my favourite waste of time.

1997: England v Australia First Test

For once in my life it appeared as if my optimism had not been misplaced. Going into the first Ashes Test in the summer of '97, there seemed a renewed energy, not just with English cricket but also the nation as a whole. Euro 96, Britpop, Things Can Only Get Better, it was clear that this momentum was leading to an inevitable conclusion: The Ashes were coming home. 

Disappointment heaped upon misery, embarrassment and despair since 1989 had left many English cricket fans wondering when the drought would end. But in 1997 there was genuine hope that Michael Atherton could lift the Ashes urn and end the years of hurt.

2001 Ashes

By 2001, the Ashes had become a bit of an obsession. Winning the urn in 1985 was my beautiful introduction to Test match cricket and retaining the Ashes down under in 1986/87 was the stuff of dreams during a turbulent time for English cricket. But then came 1989.

A series that has entered the hall of shame for the England national team, anything that could go wrong that year did. The 4-0 reverse was shocking, as 29 players were shuffled around in the vague hope that England could compete with the resurgent tourists. To be honest, losing 4-0 flattered us.

From that point on I dreamed of winning back the urn at the start of every Ashes series. But time after time it soon became clear that my initial hopes were ill-founded. Losing became a habit against Australia, but still I hoped that the latest series would be the one. You do it to yourself, you do, and that's what really hurts. 

1992 World Cup: Botham's last hurrah

It's often been stated that things were rarely dull where Ian Terrence Botham was concerned. After all, if you're an inspiration to David Brent, then naturally you will be an entertainer. The winter of 1992 would see one final example of Beefy writing his own scripts. Yet, as the England cricket team jetted off for their New Zealand tour in January 1992, it would be a very different set of scripts that caused a stir amongst the British press.

My Sporting Diary: Part 13

I've had a few weeks off from writing my sport diary, and not a lot has happened in that period. Well, there has been the ball tampering affair, Man City losing a few notable matches, the first golf major of the year, and the start of the Commonwealth Games. But, as I say, not much has taken place.

My Sporting Diary: Part 3

The latest entry in my sporting diary of 2018, as Arsenal lose another away match, and the world of football pays tribute to Cyrille Regis.

My Sporting Diary: Part 1

The first entry in my 2018 sporting diary, including darts discussions, Jose Mourinho moaning, and Eden Hazard's balancing problems.