WELL, it's been fun, hasn't it? England have spent the past two years playing their swashbuckling brand of aggressive Test cricket, and beating (almost) everyone, rising like a phoenix from, erm, well, the Ashes. After that 4-0 beating down under, something had to change. In came Brendon McCullum, Ben Stokes and a new exciting brand of cricket that you might recognise as BazBall.
New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan and Ireland all suffered at the hands of this revitalised England and only the weather saved Australia from losing the Ashes here last summer.
Well, the party is over now. At 4am tomorrow, England begin the first of a five-Test series against India, in India. It is going to be, for want of a better word, difficult. England are facing off against the titans of world cricket, in their own backyard, and they are going to have to take their medicine.
It is important to add some context to this upcoming series, which figures to be one of the more hostile England have played in some time. Some of you might remember the recent World Cup, also played in India. The script had been written: India in the final, in their home tournament, ready to be crowned world champions in front of an audience of more than one billion people. Except, they got humiliated by Australia. Following a Test series draw in South Africa, this is going to be the first time India take the field in a serious match since that national embarrassment. Someone is going to be made to suffer and it is likely that 'someone' is going to be the England cricket team.
この記事は Country Life UK の January 24, 2024 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は Country Life UK の January 24, 2024 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery
