MIKE LORIGAN, REPORTER: They are the sounds Australian cricket fans have come to love and the English have come to dread.
The Ashes are upon us again and before a ball has even been bowled, the stage has been set.
STUART BROAD, FOR THE LOVE OF CRICKET PODCAST: It’s probably the worst Australian team since 2010 when England last won.
MIKE LORIGAN: Is there bad blood in the rivalry?
JOHN EMBUREY, FMR ENGLAND CRICKET PLAYER: I wouldn’t say bad blood, it’s just this fierceness to win.
NATHAN LYON, AUSTRALIA OFF-SPINNER: The rivalry is there, it’s real. We are living it, so can’t wait to get it started on Friday.
MIKE LORIGAN: This will be Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon’s 8th Ashes series.
NATHAN LYON: To be able to be very fortunate enough to play a few test matches against England as an Australian cricketer, it’s the pinnacle. And you see the theatre around this Ashes series, and it seems to be getting bigger and bigger each and every day.
MIKE LORIGAN: Australia retained the Ashes the last time the two sides met in the UK in 2023, after a two-all series draw.
England’s series levelling win at the Oval in the fifth and final test was characterised by the English as a ‘moral victory’.
Sir Ian, in the last Ashes series there was a lot of talk around moral victories. In your opinion, what is a moral victory?
IAN BOTHAM, FMR ENGLAND CAPTAIN: I have no idea, I didn’t play for morals.
NATHAN LYON: I wouldn’t say there’s bad blood, but when you get out in the middle, the competitive juices do flow. But that’s all in the spirit of the game in my eyes.
MIKE LORIGAN: The origins of the Ashes can be found in a satirical obituary in a British tabloid back in 1882, which declared the death of British cricket at the hands of the Australian cricket team.
MICHAEL CLARKE, FMR AUSTRALIAN CAPTAIN: History and tradition, I think it’s one of the greatest things about our sport, about cricket.
MIKE LORIGAN: That history tells us ‘Old Blighty’ struggles down under. Since the ‘80s England’s only Ashes series win in Australia came in 2010.
MICHAEL CLARKE: Winning away from home is very hard. That’s a significant challenge that all countries face and England’s no different when they come to Australia because conditions are so different.
MIKE LORIGAN: Why has it been so difficult for English sides to win down under?
IAN BOTHAM: Don’t know, we found it quite easy.
MIKE LORIGAN: Off spinner John Emburey was one of Ian Botham’s teammates in an English side which found Ashes success across the ‘80s in both Australia and England.
JOHN EMBUREY: A lot of people don’t seem to realise how tough Australians are and how competitive Australians are in wanting to win.
NATHAN LYON: I think as a kid, an Australian kid growing up in the backyard, I used to toss the bat or flip the bat up in the backyard with my brother and whoever lost was England. So that’s where it started for me.
MIKE LORIGAN: As part of Australia’s fierce bowling attack over the last 15 years, Lyon has never lost a test to England at home.
Shane Warne is Australia’s greatest ever test wicket taker with 708 scalps.
At 562 Nathan Lyon needs just two more wickets to surpass the legendary Glenn McGrath to move into second place.
JOHN EMBUREY: Well, they called him GOAT, don’t they? Greatest of all time.
MIKE LORIGAN: Where does he sit in terms of off spinners?
JOHN EMBUREY: Right at the top.
NATHAN LYON: I don’t look at too many milestones or personal milestones. It’s more about the team and I’ll look at those things once I retire, but that’s a while off yet.
MICHAEL CLARKE: Nathan Lyon owns and deserves his place in history when he retires.
He had to learn his craft under the most amount of pressure with the spotlight on him after Australia had so many spinners between Warnie and him come and go and he’s done it beautifully.
MIKE LORIGAN: Michael Clarke who was Nathan Lyon’s first Test captain back in 2011, believes the 37-year-old is a weapon the English don’t have.
MICHAEL CLARKE: ‘Lino’ stands above England spinners by a distance, particularly in these conditions.
MIKE LORIGAN: Two of Australia’s star bowlers, captain Pat Cummins and reliable quick Josh Hazlewood are out of the first test with injury.
Clarke says it’s the English quicks that could steal the spotlight on the fast wickets.
MICHAEL CLARKE: Jofra Archer, Mark Wood are the two most important players in my opinion for England. I think speed through the air against this Australian batting lineup will be crucial.
From a batting perspective, I think in both teams, it’s the number fours, Steve Smith versus Joe Root. I think that’s exciting for all of us to see.
MIKE LORIGAN: Steve Smith, who will captain Australia in Cummins’ absence, has played some of his best cricket against England.
While Joe Root, England’s greatest ever run scorer, is yet to hit a century in Australia.
JOHN EMBUREY: The Australian players will let him know that he hasn’t scored a hundred in Australia as well, which will make him a little bit more determined.
MICHAEL CLARKE: I think he’s under no pressure whatsoever. He’s a great of the game already. His record speaks for itself.
MIKE LORIGAN: England captained by Ben Stokes, is known for its aggressive, high-risk style of cricket dubbed, ‘Baz Ball’, after coach Brendan “Baz’ McCullum.
Our first look at it will be on Friday, when the opening test gets underway in Perth.
What do you think is at the centre of the rivalry between these two sides heading into this series?
IAN BOTHAM: Well, I just think that both sides have got the same ambition. They both want to win and that’s the way it should be.
I actually would not like to say who’s going to win at all because I think it’s going to be really tight, providing everyone stays fit.
MICHAEL CLARKE: Australia three- two. If there’s no rain.
MIKE LORIGAN: For Nathan Lyon the mission every summer, but especially this one, is clear.
NATHAN LYON: You walk down the street, it doesn’t matter where you are, everyone will tap you on the shoulder or just say whatever you can do, please beat the English.
