Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Ground to dust: England’s failure at the Ashes

Ground to dust: England’s failure at the Ashes

England’s failure to make a contest of the Ashes spotlights (ध्यान केंद्रित करना, लोकप्रियता, लोगों की नज़र में लाना) its cricket structure (संरचना, ढांचा, प्रणाली, संगठन)

Ever since the maiden (first, initial, inaugural) Test at Melbourne during March 1877, cricketing history always had a special place for the Ashes (The Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. It is basically a small terracotta urn presented to the winner of the Test cricket series between England and Australia), the series that involves England and Australia, the rivals (प्रतिद्वंद्वी, प्रतियोगी, दावेदार) from that inaugural (अभिषेकात्मक, पहला, प्रारंभिक) joust ((in sports) contest, tournament). The series-nomenclature (terms, expressions, words; a system of names used in a particular field) Ashes was coined by a British newspaper in 1882 and that term and the trophy, the urn (the winners of the Ashes Test cricket series between England and Australia claiming one of the most famous (and smallest) trophies in sport - the Ashes urn.), have become part of sporting folklore (लोककथा, लोकसाहित्य, कहावत). England lost the 1877 game and cut to the present (get/come to the point or present situation (without spending more time on other things)), Old Blighty (an informal term for “Great Britain”) suffered defeat yet again at Melbourne to hand over (सौंपना, स्थानांतरण करना) the current Ashes at 0-3 to host (मेज़बान, प्रस्तुतकर्ता, आयोजक, संयोजक) Australia while two Tests still remain in the series. The juxtaposition (comparison, contrast; closeness) of history and the present may seem like a one-way street but the Ashes remains far from (से दूर) it with Australia having won 34 and England 32 through a series that has attained mythical (काल्पनिक, पौराणिक) proportions over the decades (दशक, दस साल का समय।). However, recent history would vouch for (ज़मानत करना, प्रमाणित करना, पुष्टि करना) Australia’s dominance with the Ashes being snapped up (take advantage of, grab, snatch, seize, grasp) in 2017 and 2019, and the latest result too favours the former colony while the mother-country is resigned to (इस्तीफा देना, छोड़ देना, त्यागपत्र देना) eating humble pie. The three defeats in consecutive (लगातार, एक के बाद एक) Tests have shown England in poor light. The will (determination, firmness of purpose, will power, strength of character, resolution, resolve) to fight seems to have declined and Joe Root’s men have been tagged (label, classify) as the worst tourists to land in Australia and as it has been pointed out (इशारा करना, पहचानना, उल्लेख करना), all that the host needed was just 12 days to seize (ज़ब्त करना, अभिग्रहण करना, रोक लगाना) the urn.

There have been times when England looked anaemic (feeble, weak, poor), especially in the contests in the 1980s against the marauding (devastating) West Indians. To those tales (story, narrative, report, account, record, history) of ignominy (shame, disgrace, humiliation/embarrassment), cricket’s birthplace (country of origin) has added the latest chapter. England’s batting has leant on (depend on be dependent on, rely on , count on, bank on) Root while his colleagues fell with tentative feet, itchy hands (some say itchy hands/palms are a sign of greed. Others say that if your hands/palms itch, it means there will be money in your future) and an insipid (uninteresting, boring, unexciting, lacklustre, pathetic) mind. With the batters failing, England’s attack has struggled to mount (increase, rise) pressure. And when the bowlers did strike (attack) with James Anderson belying his 39 summers (years, particularly a persons age) and clocking (register, record; achieve) a masterly (expert, clever, masterful) spell (period, time, session, course) in Melbourne, the England batters failed to offer support and Australia won by an innings and 14 runs. Debutant Scott Boland’s six for seven in the second innings further reiterated (repeat, say again, restate) Australia’s talent base (basis, bedrock, foundation, core) and its strong domestic structure while England was left to ponder (think about, consider, review, reflect on) about its County circuit. That an injured Josh Hazlewood was not missed spoke volumes about the inherent (implicit, intrinsic, fundamental, basic) strengths within the Aussie pace-pack (a group of pace bowlers). Boland showed that at 32, hope could still float (launch, get going, promote, introduce, establish, set up) for the committed athlete. That he is the second after Jason Gillespie to emerge from the aboriginal (native, original) community to turn out (come, go, be present, attend, appear, turn up, arrive) for the Australian men’s Test team also revealed cricket’s democratic footprint (impression, mark/trace, effect, impact; range of operation). Before the series, Australia seemed unsettled having lost its regular captain Tim Paine to a hushed-up (concealed, hidden, suppressed, obscured) scandal (impropriety, misconduct, wrongdoing). But in Pat Cummins, the Aussies have found a calm skipper, and with England in disarray, the Ashes will stay in the southern hemisphere (the half of Earth that is south of the Equator. The two continents which completely lie in the southern hemisphere are Australia and Antarctica).

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.spotlight (verb)

Hindi Meaning - ध्यान केंद्रित करना, लोकप्रियता, लोगों की नज़र में लाना
English Meaning - highlight, underline, underscore, focus attention on, draw attention to.

2.structure (noun)

Hindi Meaning - संरचना, ढांचा, प्रणाली, संगठन
English Meaning - composition, fabric, framework, system, organization.

3.rival (noun)

Hindi Meaning - प्रतिद्वंद्वी, प्रतियोगी, दावेदार
English Meaning - competitor, opponent, contender.

4.inaugural (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - अभिषेकात्मक, पहला, प्रारंभिक
English Meaning - first, initial, maiden.

5.folklore (noun)

Hindi Meaning - लोककथा, लोकसाहित्य, कहावत
English Meaning - story, myth, tale.

6.hand over (phrasal verb)

Hindi Meaning - सौंपना, स्थानांतरण करना
English Meaning - pass, assign, transfer.

7.host (noun)

Hindi Meaning - मेज़बान, प्रस्तुतकर्ता, आयोजक, संयोजक
English Meaning - presenter, organizer, arranger.

8.far from (phrase)

Hindi Meaning - से दूर
English Meaning - the opposite of; nowhere near, a long way from; not, not at all.

9.mythical (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - काल्पनिक, पौराणिक
English Meaning - traditional.

10.decade (noun)

Hindi Meaning - दशक, दस साल का समय।
English Meaning - a period of ten years.

11.vouch for (verb)

Hindi Meaning - ज़मानत करना, प्रमाणित करना, पुष्टि करना
English Meaning - attest to, confirm, prove, show the truth of.

12.resign to (verb)

Hindi Meaning - इस्तीफा देना, छोड़ देना, त्यागपत्र देना
English Meaning - reconcile oneself to, become resigned to, become reconciled to, have no choice but to accept, come to terms with, learn to live with.

13.consecutive (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - लगातार, एक के बाद एक
English Meaning - successive, in a row, one after the other, back-to-back, continuous.

14.point out (phrasal verb)

Hindi Meaning - इशारा करना, पहचानना, उल्लेख करना
English Meaning - identify, mention, indicate, draw attention to.

15.seize (verb)

Hindi Meaning - ज़ब्त करना, अभिग्रहण करना, रोक लगाना
English Meaning - take hold of, snatch, grab, capture (suddenly); take possession of.

16.maiden (adjective)

English Meaning - first, initial, inaugural.

17.grind to dust (phrase)

English Meaning - (figuratively) to defeat someone completely/heavily; (literally) to crush, beat, or grind (something) into powder.

18.the Ashes (noun)

English Meaning - The Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. It is basically a small terracotta urn presented to the winner of the Test cricket series between England and Australia.

19.joust (noun)

English Meaning - (in sports) contest, tournament.

20.nomenclature (noun)

English Meaning - terms, expressions, words; a system of names used in a particular field.

21.coin (verb)

English Meaning - invent, create, devise, conceive, originate, think up, formulate (a new word/phrase).

22.the urn (noun)

English Meaning - the winners of the Ashes Test cricket series between England and Australia claiming one of the most famous (and smallest) trophies in sport - the Ashes urn.

23.cut to the present (phrase)

English Meaning - get/come to the point or present situation (without spending more time on other things).

24.Old Blighty (noun)

English Meaning - an informal term for “Great Britain”.

25.juxtaposition (noun)

English Meaning - comparison, contrast; closeness.

26.snap up (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - take advantage of, grab, snatch, seize, grasp.

27.eat humble pie (phrase)

English Meaning - to admit your fault in a humiliating way and/or make a humble apology; back down, admit defeat, surrender, capitulate, yield, give in, cave in, submit.

28.show someone in a bad/poor light (phrase)

English Meaning - to make someone appear to be a bad/poor one.

29.will (noun)

English Meaning - determination, firmness of purpose, will power, strength of character, resolution, resolve.

30.tag (verb)

English Meaning - label, classify.

31.anaemic (adjective)

English Meaning - feeble, weak, poor.

32.marauding (adjective)

English Meaning - devastating.

33.tale (noun)

English Meaning - story, narrative, report, account, record, history.

34.ignominy (noun)

English Meaning - shame, disgrace, humiliation/embarrassment.

35.birthplace (noun)

English Meaning - country of origin.

36.lean on (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - depend on be dependent on, rely on , count on, bank on.

37.fell past of fall (verb)

English Meaning - collapse, topple over, tumble over, keel over, fall down.

38.itchy hands (phrase)

English Meaning - some say itchy hands/palms are a sign of greed. Others say that if your hands/palms itch, it means there will be money in your future.

39.insipid (adjective)

English Meaning - uninteresting, boring, unexciting, lacklustre, pathetic.

40.mount (verb)

English Meaning - increase, rise.

41.strike (verb)

English Meaning - attack.

42.belie (verb)

English Meaning - contradict, be at odds with, call into question, prove to be false, disprove.

43.summers (noun)

English Meaning - years, particularly a persons age.

44.clock (verb)

English Meaning - register, record; achieve.

45.masterly (adjective)

English Meaning - expert, clever, masterful.

46.spell (noun)

English Meaning - period, time, session, course.

47.reiterate (verb)

English Meaning - repeat, say again, restate.

48.base (noun)

English Meaning - basis, bedrock, foundation, core.

49.ponder (verb)

English Meaning - think about, consider, review, reflect on.

50.speak volumes (phrase)

English Meaning - be good evidence for.

51.inherent (adjective)

English Meaning - implicit, intrinsic, fundamental, basic.

52.pace-pack (noun)

English Meaning - a group of pace bowlers.

53.float (verb)

English Meaning - launch, get going, promote, introduce, establish, set up.

54.aboriginal (adjective)

English Meaning - native, original.

55.turn out (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - come, go, be present, attend, appear, turn up, arrive.

56.footprint (noun)

English Meaning - impression, mark/trace, effect, impact; range of operation.

57.hushed-up (adjective)

English Meaning - concealed, hidden, suppressed, obscured.

58.scandal (noun)

English Meaning - impropriety, misconduct, wrongdoing.

59.disarray (noun)

English Meaning - disorganization, disorder, lack of order, chaos.

60.hemisphere (noun)

English Meaning - a circle drawn around the Earth divides it into two equal halves called hemispheres.

61.southern hemisphere (noun)

English Meaning - the half of Earth that is south of the Equator. The two continents which completely lie in the southern hemisphere are Australia and Antarctica.