You're Only Singing When You're Winning, You're Only Winning When It's Swinging

Jimmy Anderson is an excellent swing bowler. Stuart Broad is a good swing bowler. The difficulty is that new ball swing only lasts for 10 - 15 overs tops. Reverse swing, when it happens, comes into effect when the ball is 65 - 70 overs old.

This means that on a good bowling day, batsmen only need to be watchful for 30 overs in total. The other 60 overs of the days play is like a bonus stage on Mario Brothers, with runs on offer instead of gold coins.

Class batsmen are capable of surviving the danger periods of a test match. Even tail enders are looking pretty handy with the willow these days.

Surfaces are also becoming browner, flatter and more even. When was the last time you remember a pitch report on day one with your local pundit tossing around phrases like "green mamba" and advising the side winning the toss to bowl first?

Now we could make this post all about broadcasters, advertising revenue etc, but we'd rather come back to the Ashes.

When Jimmy Anderson swung it he looked class. 20 overs later, he looked less class because the ball was slightly older. The same goes for Mitchell Johnson.

The rapidly spreading epidemic of batter friendly feather beds being passed as cricket pitches his puts 2 things into perspective:

1. How good was that Siddle inswinger to clean bowl Matt Prior with an older ball?
2. In a world of inflated averages and easier batting conditions, how crap is Mike "Mr Can't Play Cricket Very Well" Hussey?