Join the Miguel Delaney: Inside Football newsletter and get behind-the-scenes access and unrivalled insightJoin the Miguel Delaney: Inside Football newsletterJoin the Miguel Delaney: Inside Football newsletterThere’s a political theory that people don’t vote in terms of self-interest, but in terms of their values. They are happy to hurt themselves, so long as they stay true to themselves. England were eight for three when Harry Brook walked to the middle. Facing his first ball, he charged down the wicket at Mitchell Starc, swung, missed, and smiled. “Most of the time when I’ve been overly aggressive is when we’ve lost early wickets,” Brook said ahead of the third Test in Adelaide. “I’ve tried to counter-punch and put them back under pressure.” open image in galleryHarry Brook trod the line between intent and recklessness to end with the highest score of the day (AFP via Getty Images)True to himself to the end. Brook ended up with 41 from 34 balls. It was the highest score on a day where 20 wickets fell and England found themselves – again – on the wrong side of a day’s play. It was a moment that divided political opinion across the stadium. Commentators falling off their chairs, bereft at the recklessness, all while ignoring that three of his teammates had just perished and a fourth soon would also. At 16 for four, three of England’s players had nicked off defending. Joe Root recorded the longest duck of his career at 15 balls. Which is the greater crime? “The pitch is doing too much if I’m brutally honest,” said former England bowler Stuart Broad on SEN radio. “Test match bowlers don’t need this amount of movement to look threatening.”open image in galleryA MCG surface offering lavish movement will come under scrutiny (AFP via Getty Images)Of the many disappointments of this Ashes series, high on the list is that we never saw the end of the story. For years, England have spoon-fed the public nonsense about running towards the danger, doubling-down and going even harder. It has been utterly intoxicating. And yet in Australia, they blinked. Defeat in Brisbane led to Ben Stokes imploring his players to “fight”. He referred to his changing room as “no place for weak men.” The result has been a different England. On a flat pitch in Adelaide, after picking a stacked batting line-up and with temperatures over 40 degrees, they blocked it. “Surprising,” was Aussie skipper Pat Cummins’ thoughts on England’s…
Try WordAi Free
2025-12-26 09:12:29
