Ashes Fans

Grounds in England

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England Won the Ashes series in 2009 at home. Some critics also posted that grounds are created in favor of England to win the series. But whatever happens finally England won by 2-1 against Australia. The Lords and The Oval are famous among these grounds.

Sophia Gardens

Lord's Cricket Ground

Edgbaston Cricket Ground

Headingley Stadium

The Oval

Grounds in Australia

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Australian grounds are famous for 'Pace' bowling and are big grounds also. The Ashes 2010-11 season is carried out in top 5 grounds in Australia. Some of them are moisty in nature and hence fast bowlers has an advantage to dominate. Its quite hard to hit boundaries in these grounds but the experts can maintain stable run-rate. Here are the sanp of those grounds in Australia.

Brisbane Cricket Ground

Adelaide Oval

Western Australian Cricket Association [WACA]

Melbourne Cricket Ground [MCG]

Sydney Cricket Ground [SCG]

England Team Practising ahead of the first Ashes Test

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The skippers Ricky Ponting and Andrew Strauss are posing with "The Ashes Urn" ahead of the first test. Both the teams has more efficient and emerging players and at the same time both teams have the chance of winning "The Ashes" as well. Ricky Ponting is confident that, he and his team are capable to regain the Ashes. And Andrew Strauss is hoping to continue the same pace by winning the Ashes in a row.

Andrew Strauss and Ricky Ponting with a replica Ashes urn

Jonathan Trott heads out to bat

Andrew Strauss takes a break during training

Australians Practising ahead of the first Ashes Test

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This time Australians are seeking a perfect comeback. The selection committee had taken good decisions in selecting emerging players like Usman Khawaja and Xavier Doherty. Hope these things work well to help Australia regain "The Ashes Urn".

The Australian squad for the first Ashes Test

Xavier Doherty

Peter Siddle

Usman Khawaja

Michael Hussey

Steven Smith

Ricky Ponting

England Squad For 1st Test at Brisbabne

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	Andrew Strauss captain Age: 33 years 205 days Playing role: Opening batsman Batting: Left-hand bat Bowling: Left-arm medium

	Alastair Cook vice-captain Age: 25 years 272 days Batting: Left-hand bat Bowling: Right-arm slow

	James Anderson Age: 28 years 55 days Playing role: Bowler Batting: Left-hand bat Bowling: Right-arm fast-medium

	Ian Bell Age: 28 years 165 days Batting: Right-hand bat Bowling: Right-arm medium

	Tim Bresnan Age: 25 years 207 days Batting: Right-hand bat Bowling: Right-arm medium-fast

	Stuart Broad Age: 24 years 91 days Batting: Left-hand bat Bowling: Right-arm fast-medium

	Paul Collingwood Age: 34 years 120 days Batting: Right-hand bat Bowling: Right-arm medium

	Steve Davies wicketkeeper Age: 24 years 98 days Batting: Left-hand bat

	Steven Finn Age: 21 years 172 days Batting: Right-hand bat Bowling: Right-arm fast-medium

	Eoin Morgan Age: 24 years 13 days Batting: Left-hand bat Bowling: Right-arm medium

	Monty Panesar Age: 28 years 151 days Batting: Left-hand bat Bowling: Slow left-arm orthodox

	Kevin Pietersen Age: 30 years 88 days Batting: Right-hand bat Bowling: Right-arm offbreak

	Matt Prior wicketkeeper Age: 28 years 209 days Batting: Right-hand bat

	Graeme Swann Age: 31 years 183 days Batting: Right-hand bat Bowling: Right-arm offbreak

	Chris Tremlett Age: 29 years 21 days Batting: Right-hand bat Bowling: Right-arm medium-fast

Jonathan Trott

Age: 29 years 154 days

Batting: Right-hand bat

Bowling: Right-arm medium

Australia Squad For 1st Test at Brisbabne

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	Ricky Ponting captain Age: 35 years 337 days Playing role: Higher middle order batsman Batting: Right-hand bat Bowling: Right-arm medium

	Michael Clarke vice-captain Age: 29 years 233 days Playing role: Lower middle order batsman Batting: Right-hand bat Bowling: Slow left-arm orthodox

	Doug Bollinger Age: 29 years 120 days Playing role: Bowler Batting: Left-hand bat Bowling: Left-arm fast-medium

	Xavier Doherty Age: 27 years 364 days Batting: Left-hand bat Bowling: Slow left-arm orthodox

	Brad Haddin wicketkeeper Age: 33 years 29 days Playing role: Wicketkeeper batsman Batting: Right-hand bat

	Ben Hilfenhaus Age: 27 years 251 days Playing role: Bowler Batting: Right-hand bat Bowling: Right-arm fast-medium

	Michael Hussey Age: 35 years 178 days Playing role: Higher middle order batsman Batting: Left-hand bat Bowling: Right-arm medium

	Mitchell Johnson Age: 29 years 19 days Playing role: Bowler Batting: Left-hand bat Bowling: Left-arm fast

	Simon Katich Age: 35 years 92 days Playing role: Batsman Batting: Left-hand bat Bowling: Slow left-arm chinaman

	Usman Khawaja Age: 23 years 338 days Playing role: Higher middle order batsman Batting: Left-hand bat Bowling: Right-arm medium

	Marcus North Age: 31 years 116 days Playing role: Lower middle order batsman Batting: Left-hand bat Bowling: Right-arm offbreak

	Peter Siddle Age: 25 years 361 days Playing role: Bowler Batting: Right-hand bat Bowling: Right-arm fast-medium

	Shane Watson Age: 29 years 157 days Playing role: All-rounder Batting: Right-hand bat Bowling: Right-arm fast-medium

	Callum Ferguson withdrawn player Age: 26 years 0 days Batting: Right-hand bat Bowling: Right-arm medium

	Ryan Harris withdrawn player Age: 31 years 41 days Playing role: All-rounder Batting: Right-hand bat Bowling: Right-arm fast

	Nathan Hauritz withdrawn player Age: 29 years 34 days Playing role: Bowler Batting: Right-hand bat Bowling: Right-arm offbreak

	Steven Smith withdrawn player Age: 21 years 172 days Playing role: All-rounder Batting: Right-hand bat Bowling: Legbreak googly

About England Cricket Board [ECB]

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The England and Wales Cricket Board was established on January 1 1997 as the single national governing body for all cricket in England and Wales. It has its headquarters at Lord’s Cricket Ground in London.
For the third consecutive year ECB was able to report a double-digit increase in the numbers of people playing cricket across the country.

An annual study of ECB focus clubs released in November 2009 revealed that overall participation has risen by 15 per cent. This increase came on the back of a 24 per cent rise in 2008 and a 27 per cent rise in 2007.
Disability cricket, which officially came under the purview of the ECB in early 2009, experienced the single largest increase in the last 12 months with participation levels up by 66 per cent.
The increased popularity of cricket in England & Wales combined with the strength of the domestic and international game has enabled ECB to attract and retain a number of high profile commercial partners such as npower, NatWest, Red Bull, Buxton and adidas.

About Cricket Australia

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Cricket Australia is the custodian of the game in Australia. It is made up of six member associations:

Cricket New South Wales;
Queensland Cricket;
South Australian Cricket Association;
Tasmanian Cricket Association;
Cricket Victoria; and
Western Australian Cricket Association.

The Australian Capital Territory Cricket Association and the Northern Territory Cricket Association Cricket Association are non-member associations.

Board of Directors

Cricket Australia is governed by 14 Directors appointed by their respective member associations, and managed by a Senior Management Team and approximately 60 full-time staff. The Chief Executive Officer reports to the Board of Directors.
The state associations appoint the following number of Directors to the Board;

New South Wales - three Directors;
Queensland - two Directors;
South Australia - three Directors;
Tasmania - one Director;
Victoria - three Directors; and
Western Australia - two Directors

The Board of Directors maintains a strategic focus in its governance of the game. However, the responsibility for implementing the strategic plan and managing Cricket Australia's operating activities rests with the Chief Executive Officer and Senior Management Team.

Click here to go to the Board of Directors profile page.

Cricket Australia organisational overview

In addition to the Executive department, which manages the day-to-day operations of the Chief Executive Officer and Directors, Cricket Australia operates seven other departments. Cricket Marketing Services
Overall role: Drive and consolidate revenue-raising and new business activities for Australian cricket. Incorporates Cricket Digital Active, the digital division of Cricket Australia.
Responsibilities:

management of digital assets;
acquiring and servicing commercial partners;
continue to develop the consumer products (licensing) program;
formulating advertising strategies;
market research;
event management for international matches; and
promotions.

Cricket Operations

Overall role: Manage Australian teams at international level, administer the country's premier domestic competitions, the Pura Cup and the ING Cup and oversee all umpiring.
Responsibilities:

all elite-level men's and women's cricket operations, including management of the Australian Test and one-day international teams;
programming for international and domestic cricket, including Australia A;
playing conditions for international and interstate cricket;
pre-tour inspections;
Australian Cricketers' Association relationship management; and
umpiring.

Finance and Business Services

Overall role: Manage Australian cricket's finances and administer its internal operations.
Responsibilities:

financial management of the business behind cricket;
human resources;
information technology infrastructure and service; and
office management.

Game Development

Overall role: Responsible for overseeing all cricket development activity from the game's highest level through to its grassroots.
Responsibilities:

increasing cricket participation across the nation;
fostering club cricket;
co-ordinating world-class development programs for players, coaches and umpires;
contemporary education and training models for coaches, umpires, administrators and curators, designed to better service the game;
national youth championships; and
ICC East Asia Development program.

Legal and Business Affairs

Overall role: Manage the provision of legal services to the organisation and assist with the implementation of various strategic business initiatives.
Responsibilities:

negotiate and draft agreements
review Codes and Policies and assist with player education
oversee the development and management of various special business projects
oversee the implementation of various strategic initiatives involving the use of digital technology

Public Affairs

Overall role: Plan and implement the organisation's strategic communications programs, ensuring that cricket's stakeholders are kept informed about the game.
Responsibilities:

issues management;
media relations;
strategic communications;
publication production;
publicity; and
corporate hospitality.

Media Rights

Overall role: Manage cricket's media partners including broadcasters.
Responsibilities:

managment of media partners;
strategic direction of media strategy;

Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers' Association

Cricket Australia recognises the importance of Australian players' rights to an active independant representative body.
Cricket Australia works closely with the Australian Cricketers' Association (ACA) to ensure the best possible outcome for Australian cricket.

Click here to visit the ACA website.

The Ashes

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The Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. It is international cricket's most celebrated rivalry and dates back to 1882.

The Ashes is one of the most fiercely contested competitions in cricket.The failure of England to regain the Ashes for 16 years from 1989, coupled with the global dominance of the Australian team, had dulled the lustre of the series in recent years throughout most of the cricketing world, although it has remained the most popular cricketing contest for Australians. However, the close results in the 2005 Ashes series, and the overall high quality and competitiveness of the cricket greatly boosted the popularity of the sport in Britain and considerably enhanced the profile of the Ashes around the world. Despite the lop-sided result of the 2006-07 Ashes series, which owed much to off-the-field pressures in the England camp, this popularity has endured, and England's win in the 2009 Ashes series will ensure much speculation and anticipation of the return in 2010–11.

Reference : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ashes

Live Scorecard By Cricwaves

2010-11-24T07:04:00.001+05:30