Wounded pride

It's cricket festival time here in Perth. Lilac Hills, a sleepy ground nestled next to the river, is hosting a couple of one-day games in the build up to the third Test. Today, Alec Stewart skippered an England XI, while on Tuesday, the Legends Twenty20 teams will be managed by Dennis Lillee and Ian Botham. Word has it that Lillee will open the bowling, while Beefy, when he heard this, is now expected to face the opening over. After Wednesday's post, this is most pleasing.
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I can't help of being reminded of a war memorial statue in Adelaide, situated on the way down to the ground, and thinking how a wounded England will respond to that last day defeat. (They begin to pick up the pieces from Adelaide when they start a two-day game at the WACA tomorrow).

The statue relates to a cracking piece of trivia I was recently told which, Danny Wallace, author of Yes Man, heard at a drinks party. It goes like this: if a statue of a soldier on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle; if the horse has one front leg in the air, the soldier was wounded in battle; if the horse has all four legs on the ground, the soldier survived in battle.

I can only imagine the sound of 11 Englishmen and 44 hooves (plus other squad members and support staff) riding high at the SCG in January. Can you?