England have experienced some gloomy Ashes tours this century but the mood this Christmas is as dark as any of them.
Three-nil down when expectations were high, and facing trial by both traditional and social media over their lifestyle choices on a mid-season break in Noosa. And that is before we get to Jofra Archer joining Mark Wood on the sidelines for the remainder of the tour. Positives? Keep searching.
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With Boxing Day a staple part of the series’ calendar, Christmas Day takes on a strange position on an Ashes tour. Players will train on Christmas morning, with families often joining at the ground. This year England, down and out, have made their session optional, and it remains to be seen how many turn up. Players’ children can be expected to have a run around the outfield.
One of the many epic aspects of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is the nets, which have a spectacular viewing platform for the public to watch. At England’s session on Christmas Eve, hundreds of fans turned up to watch.
Ben Stokes pulled his captain’s media duties forward to Christmas Eve but the Australia captain – Steve Smith again this week – will still face the press on Christmas morning.
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Net sessions at the MCG can be viewed by the public – Getty Images/Gareth Copley
England have their families in tow now. Since just before the Adelaide Test, partners and children have turned up, which means a big Christmas lunch will take place in Melbourne. Families are flown out to Australia by the England and Wales Cricket Board for an allotted period on tour; if players want their loved ones for longer, they must foot the bill. On the infamous Noosa trip, Joe Root stayed away from the team at an Airbnb with his family.
Four years ago, with Covid dominating the tour, this event became a bit of a debacle, as poor food and a lack of privacy in a St Kilda restaurant meant some players and their families left early. That night, it was confirmed that Covid had entered the camp, with head coach Chris Silverwood testing positive.
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It is not so long ago that Christmas on tour was much more fun, and not a foreboding day casting a shadow over a massive match.
Derek Pringle, formerly of this parish, has recalled tales of 1982, when after a quick net, players would don fancy dress and head with their families to a midday drinks party thrown by the press. After that, the families and press left the players to a private lunch, which featured a sketch from the Ashes rookies. On tours in the 1990s, the press performed skits mocking the players, with the fancy dress theme continuing. The pictures of the 1994-95 tour are spectacular. These days, the relationship between the fourth estate and the players is rather more distant.
England’s players in fancy dress on Christmas Day 1994, including Mike Gatting (left) as King Henry VIII – AllSport/Graham Chadwick
For all the talk of Noosa boozing, an early night is de rigueur for England’s cricketers at Christmas – which is only really Boxing Day Eve.
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