Stuart Jarvis

Who really believed it would happen, even after the victory at Trent Bridge, even after England dismissed the Aussies for 367 on Sunday? But it’s true – the Ashes are back.
The England cricket team been improving for many years from the appointment of Duncan Fletcher and the sheer determination of Nasser Hussain’s captaincy, but it is in the last couple of years under the captaincy of Michael Vaughan that things have really started coming together. Vaughan’s leadership has meant England playing cricket with a smile of its face which in turn has fostered team spirit that is something really special. The result is that now we seem to have a team in which anyone is able to stand up and make a contribution, whether it be Pietersen today – rubbishing all the critics with a fearless century – Ashley Giles cutting imperiously through the onside or Paul Collingwood simply occupying the crease while Kevin had fun at the other end.
All of England’s specialist batsman have managed to pass fifty in at least one innings in this series, as have Flintoff, Geraint Jones and – now – Giles. In each match in which a part of the batting order has stuttered there has been someone else to carry the team. It’s also been a well rounded bowling performance with Simon Jones, Flintoff and Harmison all achieving five wicket hauls and Matthew Hoggard taking wickets consistently in all innings.
Behind the scenes, Duncan Fletcher has shown again, as he did with Glamorgan, what a great cricket coach he is. David Graveney, as chairman of the selectors, has shown the courage to persevere with players who suffer dips in form, giving the likes of Bell a decent chance in the team. This must help bond the team as a group of players get to know each other really well.
The main thing, of course, is that England won. However, there are many other reasons why this Ashes series will live long in the memory. Three incredibly close matches – a two run victory for England, a last wicket pair saving the match and for Australia and the England tail securing victory at Trent Bridge – have made this series a real edge of the seat affair. But more than that, it is the spirit in which the series has been played and watched that has made it truly special. The banter between players, with the Aussies coming out in sunglasses after a delay for bad light; the respect between players, with Andrew Flintoff consoling Brett Lee at Edgbaston and Shane Warne congratulating Kevin Pietersen at the end of his innings has shown how a sport can be played. The interaction between the sets of opposing fans, mixed together in the stands, with England fans waving umbrellas and Aussies simultaneously stripping off their shirts in the sunlight mocks football for its segregation of fans.
And of course, there is Richie Benaud, perhaps the finest cricket commentator ever (he has some serious competition from Test Match Special). A quote from the great man just about sums up how I feel about England winning the Ashes for the first time since I was nine: "I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything quite like that and I’ve been fiddling about with the game for some time now"