The Ashes

I'm quite surprised by how long it has been since I've posted on cricket, but this incident is definitely worth noting: England have finally beaten Australia in Australia, retaining the Ashes. With this, Ricky Ponting has become the first Australian captain to lose three Ashes series (2005 and 2009 in England, and now 2010 in Australia) in the last fifty years, at least.

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I realize I miscalculated. England are up 2-1 in the series, which means there is no way they can lose the series. Thus, they are definitely going to retain the Ashes (since they won the last round). However, Australia could still win the final Test and draw the series 2-2. While they won't regain the Ashes, they will at least have the pleasure of denying England an outright series win in Australia. Similarly England will want to win (or at least draw) the fifth Test, in order to pull off a series win in Australia and to actively win the Ashes.

Given that rain is predicted in Sydney on all five days of the fifth Test, Australia are going to have to make a real effort to win this Test. 
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