Ashes Special of 20th June '05

Hi,

Here are 10 questions on Ashes Series. The questions are generally easy, so hoping for high scores from ur side. Send ur answers to shovon76@gmail.com. Answers with scores will be published on Friday, 24th June.

1. "In affectionate remembrance of English cricket which died at The Oval, 29th August, 1882. Deeply lamented by a large circle of sorrowing friends and acquaintances, RIP. NB The body will be cremated and the Ashes taken to Australia."
Australia's first victory on English soil over the full strength of England, on August 29, 1882, inspired a young London journalist, Reginald Shirley Brooks, to write this mock "obituary''. In which newspaper did it appear?
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2. Which English spinner destroyed Australia in 1972 under controversial circumstances with the help of a fungus that infested the pitch?
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3. Don Bradman went on an absolute rampage through England in 1930. He scored 4 centuries in the five tests. His scores were 131, 254, ___ and 232. Fill in the blank.
Hint: Think Mark Taylor.
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4. Which Australian captain told Plum Warner: 'There are two teams out there, Mr Warner, and only one of them is playing cricket.' ?
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5. The first MCC organised Ashes tour of Australia was played in 1903/04. England won it against the odds and Plum Warner, the England captain, wrote up his version of the tour in his book which repopularised the Ashes myth in England. What is the name of the book?
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6. 1981, Ashes Series. Australia were set to increase their lead to 2-0 in the third Test at Headingley when they forced England to follow-on 227 runs behind. Famously, an English bookmaker offered odds of 500-1 for an English victory, and two Australian players laid a small bet. But England, banking on the performances of Ian Botham and Bob Willis, won the test match by 18 runs. The two aussie players were later reprimanded for betting on the outcome of a game, but not suspended. Who were the players?
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7. The 1924-25 Ashes series saw the debuts for Ponsford, Sutcliffe, Maurice Tate and all the tests were played without any time restrictions. This series also saw the first radio commentary of Tests. Australians won the series 4-1. What was the other unique feature that was tried out in the test matches for the first time in that series?
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8. 1953, Ashes series saw the first professional captain for the England team. Who was the captain?
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9. It is 122 years old and it has stayed at its present place since 1927. The only time it left for a trip to Australia in 1988, it was flown by a RAAF VIP aircraft and escorted to and from its place to the airport by a police escort. What am I talking about?
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10. Ashes kept in the urn are the burnt remains of which material?
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