Hey Aus, you broke tradition!

Dennis Lillee (right) with fellow Australia cricketer Andrew Hilditch with the aluminium bat that Lillee controversially used in the 1979-80 Perth Test against England. Pic/Getty Images

Test cricket's most enduring rivalry resumes at the Perth Stadium on Friday. The Ashes has recently been challenged by India vs Australia, though most Australians and Englishmen won't buy such talk. For them, the real thing will always be the Ashes. But let's state some facts. In a way, the contest has been one-sided in recent times from a home and away point of view. England have not got their hands on the urn in Australia since 2010-11, while the men from Down Under haven't enjoyed scoreline domination in England since 2001 across six series. When it comes to the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, India have clinched it twice in the same span of six series, with India holding sway over Australia at home since 2008-09.

This season's Ashes start in Perth and not at the Gabba in Brisbane as per tradition. The last time an Ashes series did not open in Brisbane was in 1982-83 (Perth hosted the opening Test). Prior to that, England and Australia played the first Test at Perth for the 1979-80 series when the Ashes were not at stake. That summer of cricket, following the end of Kerry Packer's World Series Cricket, opened at Brisbane, where Australia hosted the West Indies for the Sir Frank Worrell Trophy. Test matches involving Australia and the West Indies and England vs Australia were held concurrently.

Why not Brisbane this time for a country that loves to boast about their traditional ways? "There has been criticism of CA [Cricket Australia] for not maintaining the Gabba [the ground in Brisbane] as the opening Test of the summer for at least the next two seasons. But it is understood the Australian team is quite happy to play the opening Test of the summer at Optus Stadium in Perth, as has been the case over the last two summers, given Australia's perfect record there," said an ESPNcricinfo report. No harm in breaking tradition, but those in Australia who love to say "we always do it this way" must accept that tradition has indeed been broken in the Ashes. Perth is expected to be pacy and the Australians sense that this won't be liked by the Englishmen. Three of the last five Test series in Australia have begun in Perth, with India being the only country to beat the hosts there.

Both - the 1982-83 Ashes opener and the 1979-80 Test - were eventful in terms of controversy. On the second evening of the 1982-83 Test, Australian fast bowler Terry Alderman suffered a dislocated shoulder and nerve damage to his right arm while tackling an intruder who was among a gang of 25 that invaded the WACA ground. They waved Union Jacks when England reached 400. Alderman, who took no further part in the match and the five-Test series, became the first player to be out of a match due to a clash with a spectator.

The raging mob numbered more than the reported 25. A letter writer for the Australian Cricket newspaper wrote: "I sat there feeling sick and utterly repulsed that soccer-type violence had infiltrated my beloved cricket. Anger raged around me as, through binoculars, I saw the confusion and pain on Alderman's face as he lay in Allan Border's arms. Then I became a victim of the madness. My brother-in-law was at the ground with his expensive photographic equipment, situated near the brawling. I went around the ground to see whether he was all right. While searching for my brother-in-law, brawling started again and, because I was wearing a green and gold cap, an English lout swung a punch at me. I retaliated, with him coming off the worse." Only the previous season, Perth had witnessed the ugly confrontation of Dennis Lillee and Javed Miandad; the Pakistan captain attempting to strike the Australian great with his bat after being kicked.

The 1979-80 Test, where the non-Ashes series began, had its share of controversy too. Dennis Lillee walked out to resume his innings on the second day with an aluminium bat. The Englishmen didn't like the state of the ball after Lillee cover-drove it for three runs, and the umpires intervened only to tell Lillee that he had to return to the dressing room and get himself a traditional bat. Allan Border, in his 1986 autobiography, revealed that Rodney Marsh told his mate Lillee, "Are you going to let these Pommy b''t''ds do that to you?" That was just the ammo needed for Lillee to stick to his guns, and he walked out with the aluminium bat again. Eventually, Lillee, after his skipper Greg Chappell got involved, had to literally throw away his aluminium bat and take guard with a wooden one.

Tradition has been dispensed with for Friday's Ashes opener, and the metal factor in both teams will be closely watched. Over to Perth.

mid-day's Deputy Editor Clayton Murzello is a purist with an open stance. He tweets @ClaytonMurzello

Send your feedback to mailbag@mid-day.com

The views expressed in this column are the individual's and don't represent those of the paper