A beginner's guide to the Ashes

"Cricket," as my fashionista friend Louise observed recently, "is the new black." Since the Ashes started, she has been texting me her opinions on who should be dropped and who shouldn't, who is playing well and who isn't. Louise doesn't like cricket - rather, she didn't, but these days cricket is sexy. Oh yes it is.

Louise isn't the only one. There's Jess, who wants to join in the pub banter; Charlotte, who is now happy to watch her man play cricket, and Helen, who has booked next Monday off work in case the final Test goes to the wire.

This summer, Playfair is the new Playboy, while Wisden is the new Vogue. Well, OK, so maybe not. But, suddenly silly mid-ons are sexy and finally fine legs are fabulous. Cricket is so very this season, darling.

Why? Because England are successful - and they're doing it against the Aussies. Fashion is fickle, though, but before cricket becomes this year's pashmina, here is a print-out-and-keep guide to the series so far, and an explanation of why the Ashes really matter.

On August 29, 1882 England lost a Test match against the touring Australian side. Their defeat in a match they really should have won prompted journalist Reginald Shirley Brooks to write this mock obituary:

"In affectionate remembrance of English cricket which died at The Oval, 29th August, 1882. Deeply lamented by a large circle of sorrowing friends and acquaintances, RIP. NB The body will be cremated and the Ashes taken to Australia."

In fact, the Ashes, popularly believed to be the remains of burnt bails, are kept in an urn in the Lord's museum, much to the chagrin of the Australians who believe they are theirs by right, especially after their dominance of the past decade.

Ashes contests are always big, but this one is more closely contested than it has been in recent years, with England 2-1 up and one Test left to play. Australia have dominated the contest for years and years and years ... well, it seems like it. You have to go back to 1986-87 to find the last time England held the Ashes, when Mike Gatting last led a successful campaign Down Under. Since then England haven't even looked like having a sniff of regaining the urn - although they have been very good at winning Tests in a series once Australia have already regained them for another few years.

2005 is different. Finally England have a team that offer a contest to the Aussies - instead of it being so one-sided - in fact, they could be good enough to reclaim the Ashes.

And they really, really want to. Not only are Australia the best in the world at cricket - and have been for years - but their cricketers are renowned as the best in the world at sledging; which is verbal abuse designed to put the opposition batsmen off.

"What do you think this is, a f***ing tea party?", asked Australia's captain Allan Border in 1989 when England batsman Robin Smith wanted a drink. "No you can't have a f***ing glass of water. You can f***ing wait like all the rest of us."

There's certainly no love lost between the two sides, although this series, by and large, has been played in very good spirits.

Shane Warne celebrates success in the first Test at Lord's © Getty Images

Test cricket usually lasts five days, but these matches haven't gone that far, as a rule, because Australia have brought a new attacking style of play which other teams have started to copy. Australia's method is to hit out, set big totals and take the attack to the bowlers.

It's makes for exciting cricket, as we've seen this series - especially when England are now beating Australia at their own style of game. Australia won the first Test at Lord's quite convincingly after a few close days. But England fought their way right back into the series in the second Test at Edgbaston.

This is the difference between Old England and New England. Old England, the England of the 1990s, would have crumbled, but New England have the belief to keep fighting right to the end. And they really had to on the last day, an absolute nailbiter.

Australia started the morning needing 107 runs to win, but they only had two batsmen left, and these batsmen were their bowlers (the tail). In theory, then, England's bowlers should have won the game quite quickly (by knocking over the tail) but Australia's batsmen hit out and nearly won it. It went right down to the wire, but England held their nerve - and won.

Then, at Old Trafford, in the third Test, England dominated most of the match, but Shane Warne did well with both bat and ball, and Australia's captain Ricky Ponting played the innings of his life to rescue his team on the final day. At the close of the last day, England needed to take just one wicket, but they didn't. Australia didn't get the runs they needed to win, though, so the match was a draw. But what an exciting one.

More drama at Trent Bridge, the fourth Test where, if Australia had won they would have retained the Ashes. (Because, in the fifth and final Test, even if England won, they would have only squared the series - and the Ashes would stay with the holders, Australia)

England managed to win, but again in tight circumstances. After making Australia follow on, England had to chase 129 to win in the second innings. But they lost seven of their ten batsmen on the way and at one point it looked like Australia could turn the game right around and pull it off. They didn't.

The story of Australia's summer so far...

Bangladesh celebrate their shock one-day victory against Australia © Getty Images

Australia landed in England expecting to paste all who came before them. But they were comprehensively outplayed in their very first match, a Twenty20 match against England. Twenty20 is the vastly shortened version of the game, and so is often written off as unimportant. Nevertheless, it was the first sign that the old Australian order - of outright dominance - was creaking.

Then they lost again to Somerset, a county side. It's like Brazil being beaten by Birmingham City. Psychologically, Australia were starting to be rattled. And things got worse.

As part of the warm-up for the Ashes, there were two one-day series. Bangladesh were involved in the first of these (the NatWest Series) and they did the unthinkable - they won. Bangladesh are the lowest ranked of the ten Test playing nations worldwide, and comparative newcomers to the world stage. It was like the Isle of Man beating England at rugby. It shouldn't happen, but it did.

Psychologically, this was another huge blow. Australia went on to tie the series with England, although they restored the natural order (they are the World Champions of the one-day game) when they won the second of the one-day series, the NatWest Challenge, beating England 2-1.

There were still definite signs that Australia were creaking and the media were starting to talk England's chances up.

Why are Australia on the slide?

Fast bowler Glenn McGrath offers a potent threat to England © Getty Images

They're not the force they once were - and they're getting on a bit. They have world-class bowlers in Shane Warne (a spin bowler) and Glenn McGrath (a quick bowler), who has already missed two Tests through injury, but he is fit for the final Test. To tip the balance, England are now much, much better than they were - they are ranked second in the world. They won 12 Test matches on the run, in fact - but it is against Australia that they will be measured.

England's bowling attack is, for once, better than Australia's. And they are playing really well as a team. They are helped by having sound management under their coach Duncan Fletcher. Previously if you had one bad Test match you could be dropped, but now players are given time to bed in. It does wonders for your confidence - eg, the new Test player, Ian Bell, didn't bat very well in his first two Tests, but played vitally in the third one at Old Trafford. It's all paying off - and a real contest is on the cards.