A special part of the Ashes is the sledging. Not just the taunts hurled from the Australian slip cordon to a jittery English batsman, but that affectionate raillery amongst the supporters too.

I was on the grass at Newlands a few years back watching an ODI between South Africa and Australia. South Africa were batting and Simon Katich was fielding at deep-backward square leg, right in front of the grass bank.

An Aussie bloke sitting a few metres to my right, giving off a whiff of Castle corner’s finest, truly believed he could offer Ricky Ponting a piece of his own tactical astuteness. “Warm up Katich you cu*t, you’re on next!” he screamed, to a sheepish shrug of the shoulders from Katich.

Now if this is an Australian’s offer of support for one of his own, imagine the earful he might be inclined to give a member of the Barmy Army, or even better Stuart Broad.

Aussie grog is going to cost as much as £6.50 a pint during the series, a swindle in comparison to the 15 bucks we pay at Newlands. Methinks that Aussie bloke might require a car bar before he can offer any more advice to his team.

[The Sun]