Chris Tremlett: Barmy Army can make the difference in the Ashes
It’s fair to say that one of the biggest moments in my career is synonymous with the phrase “Barmy Army wicket”, and there will be times during this Ashes series where England may need to rely on the crowd to keep them going.
I love the unwavering confidence head coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes have in their approach. They need to have that to be successful, but there will be times in this five-Test Ashes series where things aren’t going their way and they need some reassurance that the fans still back the plan.
Whether that is a big run partnership between Australia batters Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne or a spell in which England concede three wickets inside a morning session, the Barmy Army can get them out of that rut.
Barmy Army can win Ashes
Fans can make more of a difference at Edgbaston, compared to Lord’s for example. A sunny morning with a couple of beers flowing can create one hell of an atmosphere.
The Eric Hollies stand is the party terrace and it’ll undoubtedly play its part in intimidating the tourists across the next five days – it should be great fun – in the same way the Barmy Army had their fun with Mitchell Johnson on the 2010-11 tour Down Under.
But they’ll also be vital for Moeen Ali, who is returning to Test cricket for the first time in two years.
He’s no slouch, and it is not like he hasn’t played cricket during that two-year spell, but he has not played Test cricket. Batting for 100 overs, bowling for 100 overs and fielding for 100 overs is a completely different challenge for players who compete in white-ball cricket.
Moeen will need a little bit of coaching throughout the day but he knows his role and I am sure he can make a difference.
Are you not entertained?
Stokes penned a piece this week which read: “Hopefully, the result is that we take the urn back, but the most important thing is that – whatever happens – you will be entertained.”
He’s right. Winning is important, it means everything. But at least if England do get beaten to the Ashes we’d have had fun watching it happen.
This style of Test cricket is exciting, it’s attractive and it makes it so difficult to say anything bad about this team.
There will be interesting roles for Joe Root, who captained the side to their 4-0 loss last time out, and the openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett, given their upcoming internal battle against Aussies David Warner and Usman Khawaja.
The race to get off to a good start against the new ball will be fascinating. So will seeing how Stokes’s preference to bat first clashes with how Australia found themselves batting first in English conditions against India last week.
There are so many mini battles coming across the next five days and the next five Tests. And that’s why the crowd can make all the difference.
Stokes would have been thinking about himself and the team during his legendary performance at Headingley in 2019, but there would also have been part of him desperate to please that buzzing crowd.
I know what it’s like to have the Barmy Army on my side, and I know they’ll get right behind England, Bazball and the campaign to regain the Ashes. Every cheering fan enjoying themselves will count.