The Winter Ashes

Ladies and Gentlemen, the time has come once again for the Three Lions to visit the Old Enemy down under in the latest instalment of an iconic contest. The Ashes.

In just over a week's time, England and Australia will battle it out over five test matches in Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Melbourne and Sydney as England look to retain the Ashes urn in the most hostile of environments. This guide is all you need to know about the current crop of players heading to the Winter sunshine and those they will come up against.

The Teams

Both teams have been Number One in the test rankings within the last five years, boasting world beating sides that have looked both imperious and consistent, however both England and Australia have their problems this time around.

Starting with the hosts, Australia have only played 7 test matches in 2017 and barring the impressive victory in the first test vs India, have failed to set the world alight. They are not the same dominant team some may remember from the 90s and 00s. They lost said test series against India convincingly, lost for the first time against Bangladesh in the sub-continent and endured a frustrating Champions Trophy campaign in England in the Summer and they seem to lack consistency; a key attribute of their world-leading hey day.

Opener David Warner is a key asset

for the Aussies.

Australia's star men live at the top of the batting order. The destructive David Warner has evolved from a Twenty20 specialist into a world-class all-round batsman, able to give Australia a quick start and instantly put their opponents on the back foot. On home turf, he has the ability and the experience to take test matches away from England, who will have to get him early to stop him in his tracks.

Alongside Warner, former court jester turned captain Steve Smith has transformed as a cricketer since the days of 2009 when he was the self-acclaimed "morale booster", languishing in the middle order of a losing Aussie side. He was tipped as the next Shane Warne, but 8 years later, he is now one of the world's leading batsmen, a consistent string of scores amplified by the burden of captaincy and the weight of a nation. He has an impressive record across all three forms of the game and will want to make the most of leading his nation in his first Ashes series as captain.

However, apart from those two, the Australian batting order is relatively inexperienced. Matt Renshaw will likely open with Warner with a mixed record but an ever-improving mentality for opening the batting. Renshaw could easily have been on the other side. Born in Middlesborough, he moved to New Zealand when he was seven and then on to Australia as a ten-year old, choosing to play for the country he grew up in ahead of his birth place. This series will be a hell of an occasion for him. Peter Handscomb has shown he can do a good job at number 4 and will be familiar with his opponents after a spell at Yorkshire and Hilton Cartwright may slot in below talismanic all-rounder Glenn Maxwell in a charismatic Australian line-up. Wicket keeper Matthew Wade, a regular figure behind the stumps, is under pressure for the first time in many years after a dire 2017. There are reports that there could be a shock return for Tim Paine, who has been in and out of the national side throughout his career. 

The bowling attack has the potential to be destructive, but is plagued with injury problems. Main man Mitchell Starc has had an impressive start to the Australian domestic season and will prove a handful, but the other main seam bowlers have their issues. James Pattinson and Pat Cummings, talented as they are, are injury prone but the man to look out for is Josh Hazelwood. The canny medium fast bowler could prove the key with a probing line and length, providing a change of pace amongst the rapidness of his teammates. Nathan Lyon will also prove a tough opponent when it comes to days 4 and 5.

Yorkshireman Joe Root took over the England captaincy

in the new year, and has won two test series out of 2.

The visitors have similar issues. A successful Summer results wise, there was an ever-increasing frustration about the lack of application shown in the top order. Alongside the ever-present Alastair Cook, Mark Stoneman has had a tough start but will be given the opportunity to stake his claim in more favourable batting conditions. The number 3 spot is likely to be given to Hampshire captain James Vince, who has a questionable test match record and replaces Tom Westley, who had a tough baptism of fire against South Africa in the Summer. The England selectors clearly think that Vince - a classical stroke maker - will fare better on flat Aussie wickets instead of the green tops of England. He will have to make an immediate impact however and will have to be much more mentally solid to keep his spot.

There are also questions about the number 5 role, with Dawid Malan currently occupying the spot. Alongside Stoneman, he has started the tour well with a couple of decent scores in the practice matches, but the jury is still out in regards to his temperament at the very top level. These three players hold the key to how competitive England can be in these conditions and will have to be on the very top of their games to succeed.

Sandwiching this batting order though is captain Joe Root, considered to be one of the three best batsmen in the world (alongside his Australian counterpart) and has the skill to really succeed in Australia. His first trip Down Under resulted in him being dropped for the final test of a 5-0 whitewash, so he will be keen to make new, better memories in his first Ashes series as captain. He has two series wins out of two so far as skipper; an impressive 3-1 victory vs South Africa and a not so impressive 2-1 win against the lowly West Indies, but this will no doubt be his toughest test. However, he seems to have a relaxed attitude to captaincy, certainly more attacking than his predecessor in Alastair Cook and with talent to back it up, plus a few canny overs with his side-arm off-spin, he is a key player in what will unfold.

In the bowling department, the England attack is spearheaded by the two leading wicket takers in English test match history in James Anderson and Stuart Broad. Both have plenty of experience of the harsh and brutal atmosphere of Australian cricket grounds and both have faced controversy in the past. Anderson, who passed 500 test match wickets in the Summer, will be keen to claim one more Ashes victory Down Under and Broad will hope to silence the crowd who will surely jump at every chance to belittle him. Backed up by Chris Woakes and a possible debut for Craig Overton, England's seam attack has good variety and lots of experience to help Overton settle in. Moeen Ali will provide England with a good spin option plus runs with the bat, while England possess something Australia don't, in a wildcard leg spinner. In 1993, a young blonde-haired Aussie leg-spinner bowled his first ball to Mike Gatting and clean bowled him in what was dubbed "The Ball of the Century". That man's name? Shane Warne. One wonders if Mason Crane will emulate that feat...

An ever-improving Jonny Bairstow will keep wicket, but if his hand injury is worse than feared, his back up is Surrey's Ben Foakes, who has been kept waiting in the wings for his opportunity and will be raring to go if Bairstow is not fit.

There is however one big name missing from England's line up, and despite the 'will he or won't he' of the past couple of months, it looks ever more likely that England will be without the glue that stitches the side together...


The Controversies

On the 24th September 2017, on the night of an England one-day victory over the West Indies, England all-rounder Ben Stokes was arrested for actual bodily harm outside a nightclub in Bristol. The fiery red-headed vice-captain had jeapordised his place on the England touring party, and indeed his career by getting into a fight, apparently defending two gay men from abuse.

Ben Stokes was arrested outside a nightclub in Bristol in 

September and will most probably miss the entire tour.

Mindless thug or hero, it remains to be seen, but while Stokes is under police investigation, he is unable to make the long flight out to Australia. In cricketing terms, England will miss his all-round skills, his leadership and the fire he possesses to gee his team mates up and leaves a big hole in the England side.

Stokes' career has been colourful to say the least. From the highs of a monumental 254 against the South Africans to the low of conceding 24 off 4 balls to lose the World T20, Stokes has endured the ups and downs this sport has to offer in it's most extreme. However, he will have to make do watching at home like the rest of us as he reflects on a turbulent few months.

The Australians haven't been able to avoid the back pages either, with an ongoing pay dispute only sorted in July. At one point, the Ashes series was under serious threat as the players and Cricket Australia disagreed on various contract issues. However, with that all sorted now, the players can concentrate on their cricket.

The History

One of the oldest rivalries in world sport, dating back to 1882, there have been many moments that will be remembered forevermore. Whether it be the aforementioned 'Ball of the Century', or the Bodyline Series of 1948, the Ashes is always a rollercoaster of emotions, resulting in a gripping, back-and-to series or, as we saw 4 years ago, a total capitulation by a troubled England side. In 2013, England were thrashed 5-0 with sagas plaguing the England camp. From Trott's mental health issues, to Swann's mid-tour retirement plus the questionable dropping of England's brightest talent, England capitulated to a shadow, haunted by the moustache of Mitchell Johnson and slaughtered by a baying home crowd.

This is what they are playing for. This tiny urn contains the ashes of a cricket bail, burnt in England in 1882 to signify the death of English cricket. Australia have the better record of test wins, however the series tally stands at 32 apiece. Both camps have their talents, but they both have their problems too. Australia are marginal favourites due to home advantage, but anything can happen in this most gripping of series.

It all begins in Brisbane at The Gabba, chillingly nicknamed 'The Gabbatoir; a place where Australia hold a very good record. Four years ago, England gained the upper hand by salvaging a draw in the second innings with a total of 517-1 - a record number of runs for the loss of one wicket in test history. Same again please.

Call Me By Your Name

This afternoon, I travelled to the Errol Flynn Filmhouse in Northampton to see a film that grabbed my attention as soon as it landed at the Sundance Film Festival way back in January. 'Call Me By Your Name' has received many compliments from the LGBT community for it's authenticity and sheer beauty, receiving a 98% approval rating on the popular film site 'Rotten Tomatoes'.

In comparison, multiple Oscar winner 'La La Land' has 92% and Jaws, 97%...

'Call Me By Your Name' is set in 1980s Italy, with 17-year old Elio (Timothee Chalamet) enjoying a summer writing music, reading copious amounts of books by the lake side and brooding around shirtless listening to Bach. Every Summer, his father, an American professor, invites his favourite student to his Italian household to help with research. This year it's the turn of Oliver (Armie Hammer), a strapping statuesque academic from the States, but throughout the film there are few references to work, with the family spending the majority of their time eating lunch al fresco, visiting local bars and swimming in the lakes.

Luca Guadagnino - the director - takes the time to set up the film in minute detail, the tension between Elio and Oliver building from the initial days of Oliver massaging Elio's back, much to the derision of the latter, right through to the inevitable; where the two accept their love; culminating in a scene where we see the pair make love as the camera respectfully moves to the window and a view of the hot, Summer night. In between however, the dynamic between the two is cryptic and sophisticated, almost as if they are trying to work each other out. Both engage in false heterosexual relationships, the use of the musical scores during scenes of love-making between Elio and his girlfriend signalling the smokescreen of lies.

In an odd kind of way, nothing happens during the film while everything happens at once. The relaxed atmosphere of a huge secluded house in the middle of the countryside is the opposite of the intense relationship that builds between the two protagonists. This is not your stereotypical "coming out" story, but instead a young man's realisation that love is love, and when both of them realise they love each other, the moving and sensual scenes that follow are heart-warming and brought a smile to my face. I thought that there would be a happy ending, as the pair travel to another part of Italy together, but with the impending deadline of Oliver's stay fast approaching, the separation of the pair brought yet more tears as the train pulled away from the station.

Elio's pain and grief of his loss hits him hard, but the film is concluded with a wonderfully moving speech by Elio's Father:

“We rip out so much of ourselves to be cured of things faster than we should that we go bankrupt by the age of 30.”

His speech to an distraught Elio made me cry. It brought back memories of similar conversations with my loved ones; Elio worried about his family's reaction, his Dad accepting him for who he is as he noticed the relationship blossoming between Elio and Oliver. The overarching message is that sadness is a genuine emotion and an emotion not to be crushed or ignored, just like one's sexuality. Elio's slow moving tears down his cheeks, while he stared into the fireplace in the middle of Winter ended one of the greatest films I've ever seen, and I do not say that lightly. Whether gay or straight or somewhere in between, this film is a must see, the overarching message of love and loss is one that will make even the most hard-nosed man's bottom lip quiver.

I very often feel underwhelmed by films that have gained monumental amounts of praise, as I expect too much, but this film was everything I had wished for and more. I would highly recommend giving it a watch, before it moves on.