10 things to love about The Ashes

Michael Holding in the commentary box: Definitely the coolest man in St John's Wood this week. In The Times, Simon Hughes gave a reminder of just how good Holding was in his prime too when he compared Flintoff's effort with the feats of the past and said they were the best he'd seen bar one: "None of the fearsome West Indian pacemen, with the possible exception of a young Michael Holding, had quite this direct and irresistible menace."

The crowds: Test cricket Day 5 in front of a packed crowd at Cardiff and then Lord's cannot be beaten as a crescendo to a sporting contest. As wickets tumbled late on Monday night (NZ time), the jubilation and revelry of the crowd could be seen by all - and that includes the often sleepy members. Throw in the odd shot of Mick Jagger and at the other end of the rough and tumble scale Stephen Fry (check out his poignant speech to the Lord's members in advance of the second test here) up in the stands soaking it up, and it must be as close to cricketing paradise as it gets.

Umpiring shenanigans: It just wouldn't be cricket if there weren't a few umpiring howlers to discuss, whinge about or strategically ignore. Of course, venting about umpiring decisions will never be removed entirely from cricket even if every blade of grass is mapped by cameras and nerds. For example it would have been Strauss who would have been incensed if his snare of Hughes had been determined to be "not out" by a video umpire. Billy Doctrove was the problem here, rather than Rudi Koertzen or Andrew Strauss. From square leg, Doctrove was the one who was categorical that the catch had been taken cleanly by the England captain and it was that certainty that removed the need for a look from the man upstairs. Many in Australia are frothing at the mouth over the "pro-England bias" detected in the decision-making - as one letter writer to The Age in Melbourne put it: "If cricket's administration wants to be taken seriously, it must retire geriatric umpires whose eyesight and reflexes are diminishing." Don't worry Australia, New Zealand's greatest Steve Waugh fan is on his way to save the day with his decision-making prowess - Billy Bowden stands in the 4th and 5^th Tests.

Flintoff: How good is he? His announcement that this would be his last Test series has given England an additional emotional reason to augment the oldest rivalry in cricket, and "doing it for Freddie" appeals to that overwhelming sense of patriotism that is pervasive in English cricket. A true talisman and out on the turps afterward too (under supervision).

The Spin: Lawrence Booth is on Twitter, but you really must sign up to his weekly email, The Spin. The Australian skipper has this week's quote of the week: "Tell Russell Crowe to stop talking rubbish about our team" - Ricky Ponting (in as many words) passes Shane Warne at Lord's the morning after the actor famous for dressing up in a skirt tells viewers on Sky Sports that Australia have lost their aggression.

The Loooong Room: Sky Sports' coup de grace was having cameras in the Long Room as the England openers and the men in baggy green caps entered the Lord's arena via the strawberry jam and custard-clad members. Television gold and an insight into one of the most revered places in world sport.

Shane Warne in the commentary box: He is a fantastic despite the obvious application of bodybuilder levels of spray tan and relentless use of the word "hostile". It is one thing to have a commentator who knows all the players and has a fresh perspective having played alongside and against many of the protagonists in recent times, but it is another to have a chap in there who is honest and candid enough to express his personal views. His muttering of the word "rubbish" as Mitchell Johnson round-armed another delivery that was swiftly despatched to the fence was outstanding - and there was plenty more from Warne too, see here. It is pretty obvious he is a Haddin-ophile and Collingwood-aphobic - the latter is understandable but the former is almost unforgivable. But Warne is a gem - the only regret is that he wasn't there for the first Test. Why not? He was in a poker tournament.

Down to the wire: Two extraordinary Test matches that have gone into the 5^th day with the outcomes undecided. One followed the most predictable script in the end, and the other did not - and both ended up in England's favour (although the "get out of jail free" card was extinguished in Wales). I for one am hoping the three remaining tests are not robbed of Flintoff and Pietersen's presence, and I like the idea of a fired-up Brett Lee joining in the fray. Right now is a thoroughly decent time to be in the business of vending painkilling injections to rickety, battle-hardened cricketers, that is for sure.

Gideon Haigh: A beeline should also be made to the musings and analysis of Mr Haigh, who is doing a Business Spectator column each day of the Ashes test series: "For Ponting, there is the consolation that no test he faces could ever be quite so hard as this one. His team had the worst of the conditions, considerably the worst of the umpiring, and by far the worst of the media, which was at times pointlessly cruel, making the captain its particular butt."

Haigh's BBC piece on sledging is also worth a squizz: "Asanka Gurusinha had dug himself a hole against the spinners, trying to turn everything to leg. 'Any danger of you playing straight, pal?' chirped Healy. Gurusinha turned, smiled, and next over, playing immaculately straight, hit everything in the middle of the bat. As they changed ends, Mark Taylor asked Healy sardonically: 'Any danger of you shutting up?'

Messages from your English mates: My mate Billy sent me two on Monday evening from the deepest, darkest hills and dales of Leicestershire. The first: "I am in the car. Listening on the radio. Praying." Then 90 minutes later: "I want to have Flintoff's children." Quite.