Sport in the Context of Life

For my sins, I am a passionate English cricket fan. So, for the 3rd weekend in 4 my ability to function normally has been severely restricted by the remarkable goings-on in the test series between England and Australia. The Ashes...

Having dominated the game for 18 years or so, the Aussies are now being tested by a resurgent English side. As a result, the last 3 test matches have been absolutely remarkable. England have largely dominated; Australia have fought back incredibly hard, saving one of the matches and narrowly losing the other 2. It is impossible for me to describe the tensions and emotions that go with cricket to people who have not grown up loving the game. But, imagine if you will; a test match is unusual amongst sports as it goes on for up to 5 days. The drama unfolds just like real life. Some test matches are excruciatingly boring and largely ignorable. But, not this summer.