If you are a neutral and not sure who to support at any upcoming tournament and you like your drama served up in large, unpredictable portions, there is only one team to follow. England.
The rugby, football and cricket teams have been involved in several dramatic finishes, matches that have flowed this way and that and off-field controversy, even over the past ten years.
From Jonny Wilkinson’s last-ditch drop goal in Sydney to a barnstorming, defiant run to the World Cup final in 2007 and bizarre decisions on and off the field in New Zealand, the rugby team have done their bit to liven up proceedings. And that is before we even start on the multiple times they lost Six Nations deciders before Clive Woodward pulled them together.
Then there is the cricket team. Edgbaston 2005 when they beat Australia by two runs. The tie with India in Bangalore, the close win over South Africa in the recent World Cup along with a loss to Ireland and an edgy win over the Netherlands. The nervy win over the West Indies which got them through to the quarter-finals. Where they were pummelled by eventual runners-up Sri Lanka.
That is the fate usually reserved for the footballers, who flatter to deceive until they hit a team of real class, where they are found out. As they will be this time round. Staying with cricket, it hasn’t all been bad news, but even England’s rise to the top of the Test rankings has come despite some shocking performances including being dismissed for under 100 by the West Indies and Pakistan.
They also won the ICC World Twenty20 in 2010 but previous performances included a loss to the Netherlands and a series of limp performances that made success 2010 all the more remarkable.
England’s footballers, meanwhile, have developed a habit of taking the lead, handing it back, and sometimes, as they did tonight against Sweden, taking the lead again, and holding on. From penalty shoot-outs to red cards and the rest, it’s been a dramatic time to be an England fan. Undoubtedly there will be more to come.
The footballers might yet fail to get out of the group. England start an ODI series against the West Indies tomorrow and defend their T20 crown in September. The rugby team take on South Africa on their own patch tomorrow afternoon as they build towards World Cup 2015 and next year’s Six Nations.
We don’t like to make it easy for ourselves, but would we, the fans, have it any other way?
John Pennington knows a thing or two about drama having played for a hockey team that went over three years between league victories. It is the subject of his next book, 1,309 Days Later, which will be published later this year.