Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
AS England retain the Ashes for the first time in 24 years in Australia, GulfWeekly would like to highlight the lighter side of their win:
It was great to watch Graeme Swann lead the England team in their 'sprinkler' celebration. A dance that originally started in the visitor's dressing room has found a large cult following as a result of Swann's weekly video diaries. Before Christmas he encouraged viewers to submit their own recordings of their own 'sprinkler' dances, bringing in more than 5,000 uploads. The England team's 'sprinkler' celebration at the MCG was a fitting finale.
Watching this were more than 15,000 delirious England fans still running through their repertoire of chants. The Barmy Army was originally formed following England's woeful Ashes showing in 1994/5 when the local press claimed that anyone supporting these 'losers must be Barmy. This was the first time they have celebrated glory in Australia!
Abu's favourite chants include,
to the tune of the Beatles classic: 'Yesterday, Ponting's troubles seemed so far away...'
'He bowls to the left, he bowls to the right, that Mitchell Johnson his bowling is... not right (or something like that)'
One of the most important outcomes of England's famous Ashes victory, yet often overlooked, was the additional BD20 that made its way into the back pocket of our editor following a wager with an over-confident Aussie mate! Latte's on him when you see him next!
I wrote a couple of weeks ago about my nomination for Spain as the Laureus Team of the Year. England must now push them close.
What may make England a better team is that they have now managed to succeed in various forms of the game, having raised the world title at T20 earlier in the year and have now regained the Ashes - the most coveted trophy in both England and Australia yet unavailable to anyone else!
That said, these are not the top two sides in the world. Before the start of the series England were ranked fourth in the world and Australia fifth.
England also have a habit of losing the next match after a victory which is hardly the hallmark of a great team.
While this is therefore the oldest trophy with the greatest rivalry, and England has overturned 24 years of pain, I still have to elect Spain as the team of the year.
