The alternative story of 2005
In the Guardian, Andy Bull moves away from the runs and wickets and looks at the stories behind each match - with the result being some fascinating tales
ESPNcricinfo staff
06-Jul-2015
There has been plenty said and written about the 2005 Ashes as another series between England and Australia marks 10 years since that extraordinary contest. In the Guardian, Andy Bull moves away from the runs and wickets and looks at the stories behind each match - with the result being some fascinating tales.
One of the least well known of the many accomplishments of Mark Nicholas is the fact that he is the man who made Mambo No5 a hit in Britain. In 1999 the production team at Sunset + Vine were struggling to find a piece of music for their new gig producing Channel 4's cricket coverage. "We were all sitting around thinking, 'What the hell are we going to do for opening titles?'" says the executive producer Franses. "Until one day Mark came in and stuck this track on. And after a second we all thought, 'Thank you!" First time around that year, Mambo No5 stalled at No31 in the UK chart. Re-released in August, it shot to No1 and stayed there for a fortnight.