Four years is a long time in sport and in the four years between England's Ashes win a lot has changed - in cricket and the rest of the world, writes Mike Atherton in the Times.
Four years ago we were living in the middle of a debt-fuelled orgy of consumerism, the kind of age in which an open-top bus parade and drink-fuelled party at Trafalgar Square were fitting conclusions to a wonderfully topsy-turvy series. Now we are a little wiser, a little more sober. Credit-crunched, a lap of honour will have to do.
In the same paper Christopher Martin-Jenkins wonders how England will move forward from this win for they have a real chance of retaining the Ashes in 2010-11 if the selectors take decisions now that temper the need to remain on an upward path while keeping that series as the next focal point.
In the Independent James Lawton thanks Ricky Ponting for his sporting behaviour in defeat and admires how the Australian captain kept a check on his emotions and maintained a sound head while all the time fighting with every legitimate device at his disposal.
In the Telegraph Mike Norrish writes that the television viewership for this Ashes was so low - because it was on a subscription channel - that despite all the excitement of the decider it failed to pass the mum test.
If I get an SMS from my mum, and it’s about sport, then you can be sure that something big has happened. I have received two this year - when Usain Bolt broke the 100m world record and when Andy Murray lost at Wimbledon - but, tellingly, not one about the Ashes. “Where were you when Freddie ran out Ricky Ponting” asked my colleague Kevin Garside this morning. And it would be lovely to think that future generations will remember the exact details of that wonderful moment. But unfortunately, I fear the most common reply will be less romantic. Because depressingly, when Flintoff threw down Ponting’s stumps, the nation that worships him was watching Poirot, waiting for the highlights.
In the Daily Mail Nasser Hussain assesses the defining Ashes 2009 performances.
Marcus North:
The find of the series. In the warm-up game at Worcester, he just looked like an organised pro, but he proved to be better than that. Played spin well, accumulated runs and formed an excellent partnership with Clarke which was crucial at Edgbaston. He said to England, 'You'll have to do something special to get me out,' which is just what a skipper wants.
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