The Ashes start this week. If, as an England supporter, you were given the following two choices, which would you pick? First: England win the series 5-0. Second: the series ebbs and flows, the teams arrive in Sydney locked at 2-2, the match goes down to the final hour of the final day, and England lose.

If you went for the second option, you’re my kind of fan. I’ve always preferred to see my team (or player) lose narrowly than win easily. Sport is there to entertain us. This is the supporter equivalent of ‘It’s not the winning, it’s the taking part that counts’. As a fan, you get excited by the process rather than the result. Nowhere is this truer than in Test cricket. Every year, Lord’s hosts two matches: the first often against a weaker side who get beaten hollow by England; the second against one of the big teams, who provide much stronger opposition and often win. And those are the matches that stick in the memory. Whereas England rolling the West Indies over by an innings on the third morning is forgotten about almost as soon as it’s happened.

Yes, the dream is that your side wins a close match. That’s the top choice, in individual as well as team sports. I adore Ronnie O’Sullivan, and always want him........

© The Spectator