"Senses heightened, clammy palms, not quite knowing where to look or what to focus on. It is OK to be nervous but is it normal to be this nervous? Castanet heart and goosebumped skin as the moment gets nearer. Just get this one out of the way, don't put too much pressure on it. Calm down. This is supposed to be fun."
"The first ball of an Ashes series is an end and a beginning. That first delivery puts a full stop to the increasingly frenzied buildup, conjecture and speculation. The action can begin to replace all the what ifs and whataboutery, at least for a little while. Increasingly the first ball is also seen as both portal and portent, a seven-second snapshot of things to come, a tone setting prophecy and harbinger all rolled into one, a five-Test series in microcosm."
"I'm stood at the top of my mark and I'm feeling the heat. Not so much the heat of the sun, rather the heat of expectation. The hype leading up to this moment has been a never-ending storm of craziness, and I'm right in the eye. The ball is in my hand. It's up to me to bowl the first delivery of an Ashes series that's been talked up, pontificated over and bullshitted about since I bowled the final ball of the last one."
The first ball of an Ashes series generates heightened senses, clammy palms, and acute nervousness accompanied by a castanet heart and goosebumped skin. Players attempt to calm themselves, downplay pressure, and remind themselves that the game should be enjoyable while past moments intrude on their thoughts. That opening delivery functions as both an end to frenzied speculation and a beginning for actual play, often read as a brief, portentous snapshot that can set the tone for the Tests ahead. Specific settings, such as standing on the Gabba on 23 November 2006, intensify the personal responsibility felt by the bowler holding the ball.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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