Ashes diary (From The Northern Echo)

Ashes diary

9:32am Friday 26th November 2010 in Sport

ENGLAND may have been convincingly second best on the first day of the Ashes to forget at the Gabba, but their England fans are winning the digital battle off the pitch.

With the rival cricket boards waging war over the world wide web, and the one getting the most ‘likes’ on Facebook declared the winner, it is the England fans who have surged into an early lead.

They had surged past the 14,600 mark at the time of writing as Australia staggered past 11,100.

ANDREW Strauss endured the most inauspicious of starts as he was sent packing by Ben Hilfenhaus for a duck to the third ball of the series but it was not, it seems, just the current England captain who was finding things difficult.

Michael Vaughan was bombarded with abuse from Australia fans as he waited for a taxi back to his hotel. ‘‘Can’t get a cab...Getting plenty of st from Aussies...Poor day for England,’’ he posted on Twitter.

James Anderson knows the pressure will be on him to perform with the ball in the Aussies first innings.

“Not sure how much I will sleep tonight but I’m going to give it a go!’’ he tweeted.

PETER Siddle celebrated his birthday with a hattrick and career best figures of six for 54.

But at least victims Alastair Cook, Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood, Matt Prior, Stuart Broad, and Graeme Swann can console themselves in the knowledge their taste in music can not surely be as bad that of their Aussie adversary.

In a Q and A on his profile on the Cricket Australia website, Siddle is asked what music he listens to before games. His answer: S-Club 7 or Vengaboys.

Discerning it ain’t.

THE Australian press pulled few punches in their damning indictment of the state of their team pre-Ashes.

But just one day in and they have been quick to change their tune. ‘‘Sid Vicious smashes Poms,’’ blazed the Herald Sun.

‘‘Siddle hat-trick tears England apart,’’ claimed the Australian. ‘‘Siddle hat-trick rocks England,’’ proclaimed the Sydney Morning Herald.