When the first Ashes Test starts in Brisbane this month, it won't all be about tucking the wife into bed and settling down for a night of cricket.
Firstly, your partner is just as likely to be watching proceedings this time around; the popularity of the game and heightened sex appeal of both sets of players last summer made sure of that.
The media will also be watching every move this winter -- 2000 applied to Cricket Australia for the press accreditation -- and with different forms of reporting seemingly being explored every time a major sporting event comes around, there is a vast array of new media worth exploring surrounding the Ashes.
The internet, will, of course be one of the most popular avenues; after all when play finishes Down Under the working day starts in most other parts of the world.
Cricket blogs will be aplenty during the Ashes and there is a community of cricket blogs currently available to fans. Two sites which blogged throughout the last Ashes were first-stop shop The Corridor, written by Will Luke at Cricinfo, and The Ashes Blog, which re-enacts key moments in a Brisbane back garden to by-pass image copyright laws.
Of the other blogs, The Times newspaper's Line and Length is the best. Others worth their weight include King Cricket, the BBC's TMS Blog, Cricinfo's Tour Diaries and Aussie-written The Cricket Blog.
From the Aussie online media view, Fox Sports and Sydney Morning Herald's The Tonk are the two most likely to provide creative and lively debate amongst both sets of supporters. For a more in-depth approach to your cricket reading, Mike Marqusee's musings on the game are well worth a look.
Meanwhile, there will be a plethora of ball-by-ball coverage taking place. Cricinfo, who will have the benefit of internet advantage over the written media, will have all the action but it is The Guardian's live text commentary which will be the place to visit if you are short of satellite television.
On the audio side, Simon Hughes (aka Channel 4's The Analyst) will be providing his short, concise Daily Telegraph podcasts, while Cricket World will be featuring live audio, real time photos and updates throughout the five Tests and ODIs. Video diaries will also be prominent: England's Matthew Hoggard will be giving fans an insight into life within the England camp.
If England happen to be on top it may even be worth having a listen online to some Australian radio stations, if only to hear if Barmy Army fans have made it onto the after play phone-ins. Pick of the bunch will be Triple M, Australia's national radio rock station, Nova Radio and for the first Test in Brisbane, 4BC Radio.
Rod Gilmour writes for Cricket World Magazine and will be blogging Down Under at http://cricrod.blogspot.com
