Review of Greatest Test: Ashes 2005 - England vs Australia, The

Introduction

When Britons of the future talk about the summer of 2005, they will talk about one thing in particular - the cricket. Of course, if that were to be the case, they`d have to be particularly broad minded individuals who had failed to remember the tragic terrorist attacks in London, the New Orleans floods and the ongoing devastation in Iraq. Yet, that`s the way it seems to be - at its height, sport has the ability to grip the nation in the way that nothing else really can.

Exemplifying the all encompassing power that professional gamesmanship has in this country, The Ashes test series managed to hold England by the balls this year - so to speak. In fact, even those who had previously dismissed cricket as a game for Toffs (watched by people with nothing exciting to do with their days) could not help but be drawn into its curious web. In the process, Andrew `Freddie` Flintoff has become something of a Sporting cultural icon - the bat and ball version of David Beckham or Johnny Wilkinson, and much criticised Kevin Pietersen suddenly turned from mere `show-pony` to national hero - much like, well, David Beckham.

The change of fortunes for the English game, however, occurred at Edgebaston in early August. The second of five tests proved to be both the turning point for the exciting ride which culminated in the regaining of Test Cricket`s most coveted prize; the Ashes. `The Greatest Test` features Channel 4`s Cricket Anchorman Mark Nicholas and documents all four innings, including all the drama and suspense which created the nail biting finale and led to people commenting that this was indeed one of the best Test matches that the world has ever seen.

Video

Following Channel 4`s presentation style almost to the letter, the visual aspect of the DVD is no different to that of the TV coverage which managed to give the UK`s fourth channel its highest ever audience share. Sleek round-ups and action replays compliment the main action perfectly, whilst the clearer picture which comes with a DVD makes those `sixes` slightly more enjoyable the second (and third, and fourth …) time round

Audio

One area that manages to disappoint is in the audio department. Classical music starts and finishes off proceedings, but there are no montage sequences which summarise Innings or the day`s play, which would have been a nice addition - as would the inclusion of a bit of a contemporary soundtrack.

Features

There are no extra features to speak of, but the ability to select which day to view is a bonus.

Conclusion

The main set back for DVDs of great sporting events is that the sense of unpredictability is no longer existent, and when you know exactly what happens, the original thrill is often in absentia.

For example, the home release of the phoenix from the flames comeback of Liverpool against AC Milan in the Champions League final in May, whilst enjoyable from a nostalgia angle, could not hope to synthesise the original excitement of watching it actually unravel before your eyes. It appears that, until the phrase "If you don`t want to know the score, commence time travel … now" actually holds some meaning, such digital records can only help to warm the cockles rather than heat you up to boiling point.

`The Greatest Test` is one such nostalgia fest. After the eventual claiming back of the Ashes `trophy`, there will be plenty of fledgling cricket fans who, inspired by the English team`s heroics, will want a souvenir to last them until the full `Ashes 2005` DVD hits the stores. In other words, despite the extensive coverage of the second test at Edgebaston, `The Greatest Test` will most likely act as a stop gap until late October, when the whole Test Series becomes available.

This is not to say that this is in any way a bad product - far from it. There are plenty of interviews with Flintoff, Warne, Ricky Ponting and `Jack Davenport look-a-like` Michael Vaughan to give you a good idea of the mentality of the players over the four days, and all the best bits are included. Of course, the main selling point of Cricket on DVD over, say, rugby and football, is that almost 24 hours of coverage doesn`t fit neatly onto one video tape and would quickly fill up your Sky+ memory. By piecing together all the best bits, the producers of the Disc have neatly done the hard part so you don`t have to.

You can`t help but think that this is a product aimed squarely at those who are lifelong Cricket fans, and were so before it became the flavour of the month in this country. After all, it represents only a fifth of the Test series and doesn`t culminate in taking back the Urn, but merely a faint hope of touching it. The real `greatest test` will inevitably be how this DVD does when it is side by side with the full Ashes coverage. Until then, it`s a nice reminder of how England got their groove back.


Howzat? "Nice Shane, Nice".