Ashes coincidence

Australia's decision to drop Andrew Symonds, something they did just before the defeat in the 2005 Ashes, is one of the coincidences ahead of next year's greatly-anticipated series between England and Australia, writes Derek Pringle in the Daily Telegraph. Australia's dominance in cricket has come at a price, their win-at-all-price ambition making them unpopular champions and Symonds is the common denominator behind their recent bad press.

An improving England will be the crucial factor when it comes to contesting next summer's Ashes, but the censure of Symonds should not be underestimated, and not just because he has averaged 77 in Test cricket over the last year. It suggests a return to the prissy correctness the Aussies tried before in 2005 but jettisoned once the opprobrium hit home.