Derek Pringle details the passion and politics that make this game of cricket much more than a sporting skirmish between neighbours

False dawn: Pakistan players celebrate after umpire Ian Gould gave out Sachin Tendulkar LBW but the decision was reversd on appeal, inset
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Most cricket supporters, save for those of two countries, probably see the Ashes as the dominant force in the game. Well, they’d be wrong, at least in terms of sheer passion and numbers.
If you took every person interested in the outcome of an Ashes match who has ever lived, all the way back...