While most of the world, except of course for Russia and Qatar, has been questioning FIFA on their surprising choice of future World Cup hosts (Even us! Check out @StanaCardSara’s post below), much of the world hasn’t forgotten about cricket, the worlds’ second most popular sport. This is especially true for the citizens of England and Australia, who were eagerly awaiting the beginning of the infamous Test match, The Ashes.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the sport, The Ashes is a very prestigious Test cricket match played between England and Australia every two years. The match has been played since the 1882/83 season, and alternates between being played in England and Australia. With the 2011 Cricket World Cup quickly approaching, this years’ was a very important contest, and England proved that it may just be the best squad in the world this year.
England dominated the Aussies at home in this second Test of five, beating them by one innings and 71 runs, Australia’s first innings defeat to England since December, 1986. The teams drew the first Test, meaning that England is now up 1-0, but their spirits and confidence couldn’t be any higher after this victory.
Australia now must win two of the next three Tests to earn a draw and keep a hold of The Ashes trophy for another two years. It wasn’t all good news for England, though, as one of their best players, Stuart Broad, suffered a stomach injury and will miss the rest of the tour. Australia also lost an important player in the opener Simon Katich, who is also likely to miss the rest of the series.
The third Test will take place in Perth from December 16-20. Follow along whether you are from England or Australia or not, as both of these teams have qualified for the 2011 World Cup and may be playing your country soon. Have friends in England to congratulate or friends in Australia to taunt? Don’t forget to use StanaCard, and get our new low rate of 3.60 cents per minute for Australia or 2.27 cents for England!
By @StanaMark - follow me for more international and expat news!
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