Ashes 2011 Read Free Page A

Couple.
26 OCTOBER 2010
ENGLAND
Please Enjoy
    Soon after arriving in Australia to follow Walter Hammond's English team of 1946–47, E.W. Swanton hailed a taxi. Swanton's plummy accent immediately gave him away. From England, eh? The cab driver was off. Well, Swanton simply had to do this. He must be sure to do that. He must go here, and be certain to visit there. In the course of the journey, Swanton barely slipped a word in, such was the torrent of information and recommendation. 'Yeah, it's a great country,' said the cab driver at last, setting his passenger down. 'Remember, it's yours as well as ours – and if you don't enjoy it here, it'll be your own ruddy fault.'
    Swanton's story came to mind this week as England foregathered for its long flight to the other side of the world. 'There is nothing to be afraid of in Australia,' argued coach Andy Flower. 'It should be welcomed as one of the highlights of a cricketing career. Enjoying it means, yes, enjoying the challenges on the field, but also enjoying seeing another country, culture, and meeting new people. It is one of the best places to go. It should be a lot of fun.' It's almost a shame Flower felt obliged to enunciate something so screamingly obvious but it was a helpful point nonetheless. Australian cricketers exhibit an impressive unanimity in pronouncing England the best tour of all. English cricketers seldom display a reciprocal enthusiasm about Australia.
    In one respect, this is easily explained. Australian cricketers have savoured a great deal of success in England, and enjoyment comes more naturally in such circumstances. English teams have achieved little in Australia for a generation, and there have been some spectacular misadventures: Phil Tufnell's panic attack in Perth sixteen years ago, Marcus Trescothick barely getting off the plane before he was back on it four years ago, and, perhaps ugliest of all, John Crawley being set upon by an unknown assailant as he returned to his team's hotel in Cairns in November 1998.
    Yet other factors seem to play a part here. Australians are big travellers – they have to be, if they're to see any of the world. The English are accustomed to shorter distances, cosier ambiences. The gap year might be to the 21st-century student what the Grand Tour was to the 19th-century man of letters, but aspiring professional cricketers, in their hurry to get on, deprive themselves of such experiences. To indulge in some national stereotyping, too, Australians have a more extrovert culture, while the English are identified with reserve and understatement – well, in the books of George Mikes anyway.
    There's reason to expect better of this England team. Seven players have toured before. Four have played first-grade cricket here, and the coach and his deputy have played Sheffield Shield cricket – the latter, David Saker, is, of course, Australian. Flower's seriousness about breaking past bad habits, of English players shuttering themselves in their hotels and socialising only among themselves, can be judged from his decision to delay the arrival of the team's wives and girlfriends until after the Second Test. And although such commandments always seem rather pettifogging where grown men and women are concerned, some evidence exists of their wisdom. When the Australians of 2005 placed no restriction on the comings and goings of partners, and even allowed players to set up separate lodgings outside the team hotel, the result was deep discord.
    The other reason to expect better of England this summer is that the behaviours of previous teams are not bred in the bone. On England's last four Ashes tours, their fans have had a wow of a time. Say what you like of the Barmy Army, and many do, they know how to enjoy themselves, and their dedication has been unflagging: the way they roared England to victory in the 1998 Boxing Day Test remains for me a special sporting memory. They have taken their setbacks, like Cricket