Ashes Diary: Aussies resigned to knockout blow
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Your support makes all the difference.Anger in Australia at the home side's lamentable efforts in Adelaide appears to be quickly turning to resignation. Patrick Carlyon in the Melbourne Herald Sun compares the Baggy Green efforts to those of Anthony Mundine, an Aussie boxer tipped for reasonable-sized things who got knocked out earlier this week.
"Mundine, like Australian cricket, is a ripe target for knockers. He has always swaggered. His wins have been assumed. If Mundine grapples with his humiliation with a grief akin to a cricket fan mourning the Ashes second Test loss, he will cast back to easier times."
Bored Swann gets into a lather
Somebody's bored. Graeme Swann has obviously come down off his Adelaide Test cloud given the activity on his Twitter feed yesterday. Swann, it appears, has had an enjoyable wash. "My wife's red cross package from the UK included foamburst shower gel. I'd forgotten soaping yourself up could feel this good," he wrote. A Newcastle fan, Swann then got stuck into the Hughton situation: "I think Pardew may be about as popular an appointment as Margaret Thatcher as president of the coal miners association."
Irani speaks, world listens
Well, that's the Ashes in the bag. Who says? None other than Ronnie Irani, Essex's not-quite-as-good-as-Mark-Ealham all-rounder turned radio ranter. "Before the series, and you can check, I said I was confident England would win," Irani said. "Seeing where we are, we can win – we're looking hot!" We certainly are, Ronnie. And I will be checking.
Prime-ature celebration
Turns out it's not only Irani who's got a case of the premature celebrations. David Cameron – that's the Prime Minister, politics fans – has revealed his plans should England's brave boys win Down Under. The PM said: "If they win they come back to Downing Street and we have a party." Fate has been suitably tempted.
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