The Ashes 2009 thread

this is actually quite funny, the whinging hasn't taken long :

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25970937-5001505,00.html

*After England's latest South African-born hero Jonathan Trott made 119 on debut in the fifth Test, it seems the Rainbow Nation is more of a factor than the Mother Country in this Ashes. *
*Statistics don't lie and the three ex-South Africans - captain Andrew Strauss, Kevin Pietersen and Trott - sit on top of England's batting averages in the series. *
*Strauss is the Ashes top run-scorer and has averaged 52.6, injured Pietersen averaged 38 after the first two Tests and Trott averages 80 after his debut Test. And another former South African, wicketkeeper Matt Prior, isn't far away with an Ashes average of 32.62. *
*Between them the four South Africans have made 1048 runs this series - more than 40 per cent of England's total. *
*To further twist the knife, Trott, speaking in a strong South African accent, poked fun at Australia by claiming he could not understand its sledging at The Oval. *
*Trott had brought back bad old memories of how Pietersen batted England to Ashes glory in the final Ashes Test in 2005. *
*Like the brash Pietersen, Trott is happy to fight fire with fire against Australia. *
*He laughed as he insisted he could not understand Australia's verbal barrage. "There were a few things said, but that's fine. I didn't really understand it anyway," Trott said. *

there is a bit at the end about Trott's connection to another Trott who represented england and australia and how he was saying "ask my grandad about him" only they fail to mention he lives in Kent, yet the english media didn't edit that sentence out :-)

why are they so worried about south africans anyway? didn't they beat them to become the best in the world? maybe a nation that is inherently racist has a problem with all this, but I've never heard anyone here moan that an aus/kiwi/saffer batsman was born elsewhere. And what of our players with pakistani/indian origins? are they also under scrutiny? no, I thought not.