Will the England Cricket team join the ranks of Murray & the Lions as they head in to their first test against the Aussies

The cricketing world's eyes will be thrust upon Trent Bridge, Nottingham today as the Ashes begins its inevitably historic journey.

If, in 1882, the Australian team produced a mock obituary for the English cricketing team after they were thoroughly beaten against their old rivals, the same Aussie confidence will not be taken in to this series of test cricket. The English have won the last two Ashes series and have only lost two games within those overall wins. An impressive record that will be in the back of the heads of a far from full strength Australian team. 

5 matches of 5 days a piece will be played on both British and Australian soil alternatively. However, in just eight weeks time we shall know who the victors of shall be and who will have the honour of lifting the Ashes trophy. Although there is a long time to go before the victors become known, the first morning of an Ashes test match has been known to settle the score of the whole series therefore players from both sides will be eager to make their mark and give a good performance from the first bowl. 

As the Lions victory Down Under will change the lives of many of the young players and as Andy Murray's victory in Wimbledon has cemented the Scotsman in the history books, the same life changing moment could come to the England cricket team if they secure yet another win against the men from Oz as captain Alistair Cook stated - "That's where you want to test yourself and I probably hadn't achieved that in my career up to that point. I think it can change lives and careers and luckily I've managed to kick on from that moment and I see no reason why that can't continue". 

Despite many critics complaining that the game has lost touch with its supporters and about the considerable lack of funding for the grass roots game, the chief executive of the England and Wales Cricket Board, David Collier, emphasised that interest in the game is as intense as it's ever been - "All the tickets are gone. Sold out. You've only got to look at the demand for tickets, at the fact we've got 300 clubs signed up to show the action on big screens, to see how big it is. I don't think anything in cricket captures the imagination of the British public more than the Ashes series."

Therefore, with sold out venues and cricketing fans across the world tuning in to watch one of the most prestigious and historic competitions associated with the game, it will surely be a cricketing summer to remember. PM David Cameron sure hopes so - "Whether you remember Botham and Willis at Headingley, like I do, or Kevin Pietersen's defiant stance at the Oval in 2005 – I remember where I was when that happened – nothing captures the public's imagination quite like a Test match against Australia. The nation's got high hopes. We're right behind the team, and I'm sure they're going to rise to the occasion."

Although, their are still the question over Sky's rights to the game, but that's a, rather heated, debate for another time.