Cricket fans are rejoicing this weekend as England and Australia go head-to-head in their tournament known as the Ashes. The Ashes have been held every year or two since 1882, with the first victory going to Australia on English soil. A British newspaper reacted with a satirical obituary, claiming English cricket to be dead, and that “the body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia”. Cricketers in both hemispheres liked the term, with each nation’s captain vowing to possess ‘the ashes’ after their next match. For more info, check out this article from Lord’s Cricket Ground in London.
The 2021 Ashes will be broadcast live exclusively on BT Sport in the UK throughout the duration of the series. Otherwise, you can follow the live reports from the BBC here, for the score and highlights. Here’s the official schedule:
First Test: 8th – 12th December 2021; Brisbane
Second Test: 16th – 20th December 2021; Adelaide
Third Test: 26th – 30th December 2021; Melbourne
Fourth Test: 5th – 9th January 2022; Sydney
Fifth Test: 14th – 18th January 2022; Perth
The Ashes is a ‘Test’ series – the longest, most mentally and physically draining of any cricket match. The Ashes sees 11 players play up to five ‘Test’ matches, with each Test consisting of four ‘innings’. An ‘innings’ is just one team taking its turn to bat until all of its players are out. In each Test match, each team bats twice – which can take up to four days! To win the Ashes, three or more Test matches must be won. There are lots of rules and quirks with Test cricket, but this article by the BBC should fill in gaps.
One gap we are able to fill is a way for people with a disability to play cricket, with a programme called Super 1s. Funded by Lord’s Taverners, the programme provides young people with physical and learning disabilities access to competitive physical activities, and opportunities to grow connections and friendships. In 2020, there were 119 participants enrolled in the Sussex branch.
Defiant Sports offer cricket as part of the Super 1s programme. You can join us every Saturday for free at the Inclusion Hub between 12pm and 1pm. We are also leading wellbeing and inclusion talks to various clubs across the country, after being asked to do so by Sussex County Cricket Club. Our aim is to increase inclusivity in cricket, and across sport as a whole!
As always, stay Defiant!
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