Fight for the urnIf you are among those who have been waiting for the next edition of Ashes since January 2014, now is the time to rejoice. The wait is over. Australia have travelled to England to play a five-Test match series and serious entertainment is definitely in store!Will Mitchell Johnson run through the English batting order again? Or will Alastair Cook make the Australian bowlers suffers by scoring a ‘daddy hundred’? Only time will tell.In order to rev up your excitement levels even further, we present to you 7 fantastic advertisements of the tournament.
#7 The rivalry that unites the Aussies
The Ashes brings the entire Australia to a standstill, and everyone from students to garage workers are glued to their TV, trying to cheer the eleven men representing their nation. The ad also features the 25th Australian prime minister John Howard!
Australia need four runs to win, and everyone is supporting Michael Clarke and Shane Watson (the two men in the middle). The tension is unbelievable! Just one ball remaining. The Aussie fans have their hearts in their mouth. James Anderson gears up to bowl to Clarke. He bowls a bouncer and Clarke swings! What happens next? Well, the ad cuts off at this point.
We hope that in this Ashes series, we get to see many such heart-in-mouth moments.
#6 The ultimate Test
This advert shows several ex-England cricketers (like Graeme Swann, Andrew Strauss, Paul Collingwood and Ian Botham) dressed as gladiators.
Botham is trying to raise their morale by saying inspiring things like: ‘Your country has called you, and honoured you. Now, you must honour them! You beat them at home, you've won the battle. Beat them here, and you win the war! Do that by beating the enemy. Go that extra mile. That will be the difference between victory and defeat. Do it for your country!’
From those featured in the ad, only Stuart Broad is still playing for England.
#5 In affectionate remembrance of English cricket
In 1882, a newspaper called The Sporting Times published a mock obituary. It read,
'In Affectionate Remembrance of ENGLISH CRICKET, which died at the Oval on 29 August 1882,
Deeply lamented by a large circle of sorrowing friends and acquaintances
R.I.P.
N.B.—The body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia.'
That is how the series started being called The Ashes.
This ad begins on that note and progresses to show us some great and memorable moments of the tournament. It also features Kevin Pietersen, who, unfortunately could not be a part of the 2015 edition!
#4 Great Southern Land
Shane Warne turns narrator for this Nine ad and it's my second favourite ad on the list!
'When I first played Ashes cricket, back in the early 90s - a lot of those Pom mates, we'd spend hours drinking and laughing together in the changing rooms after a long tough day. But the next day, you're into them all. Bloody Poms. You can't let them beat you at anything. Monopoly. Marbles. Next thing you know, they'll be thinking they can beat you at cricket,' Warne says with adequate dramatic effect in this video.
He also reminisces about watching Ashes as a boy. ‘As a boy, I loved seeing (Dennis) Lillee steaming in with his shirt unbuttoned and his chains flying north, south, east and west. Bowled Lillee, caught Marsh. And Chaps. Batting with his collar turned up, adjusting his box. Go Chaps!’ he says.
#3 The greatest rivalry of them all
Celtic vs Rangers, Manchester United vs Liverpool, Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal - rivalries are probably the life blood of every sport.
This Sky Sports ad claims that the England vs Australia is the greatest rivalry of them all. Agree/disagree?
The ad features short clips of both English and Australian cricketers celebrating, concentrating and sledging – all with Muse’s Uprising playing in the background. Some of the greats of the game featured in this song like Ricky Ponting, Glenn McGrath and Andrew Flintoff have retired. Some like Alastair Cook, James Anderson and Mitchell Johnson are still around.
#2 It\'s definitely on
A lot of preparation is done by people who stage the Ashes. This Australian advertisement by Nine features several characters (including Ricky Ponting) and ends with a bikini clad lady saying: 'The Poms are coming! Where the hell are you?’
The ad was released prior to England’s tour of Australia in 2006. The English had registered a historic (and thrilling) victory against the Aussies in 2005. The Aussies were hungry to regain the urn and avenge the loss and managed to do so. They whitewashed England 5-0! Ricky Ponting led from the front and scored 576 runs in the five matches he played.
#1 We didn\'t the start the fire
Arguably the best advertisement in this list, 'We didn't start the fire!' has been on the lips of every cricket fan ever since it came out. Featuring greats like Mike Atherton, Nasser Hussain and David 'Bumble' Lloyd, this one has hit the nail on its head. If you know the lyrics of the song by heart, I already like you.
The song has been performed by Elio Pace and his band, along with the Sky Sports commentary team.
The original ‘We didn’t start the fire!’ was sung by Billy Joel (released in 1989) and became a Billboard No. 1 hit in the US.
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