Ashes 2005 Remembered

ukevents · Joined: 15 Dec 2003 Posts: 1941

England Cricket – Ashes 2005 Remembered

Jay Morey

The Ashes 2005 was the greatest test cricket series of all time. But the rebound 5-0 loss the following winter in Australia was enough to wash away the euphoria of the achievement the year before. But as English cricket shows a further test resurgence in the 3-0 home series victory against the West Indies, maybe its time to remember what made the Ashes 2005 so amazing.

After taking a pounding in the first test at Lords, the English team totally outdone for pace and line by veteran bowler Glenn McGrath, few thought the team would counter. There were many great moments and some have to go to Australia, bowling England out for 150 in their first innings and defeating them by an innings and 239 runs in that first test threatened to set the tone for the entire series. Things changed however at the second test at Edgbaston. Ricky Ponting, Australia’s captain, won the toss and made the worst mistake of their entire Ashes campaign, he put a wounded England in to bat first. On that day, led by the example of Trescothick, Pietersen and Flintoff, the home side made 407. The Aussies countered with 308, but Flintoff showed he could bowl as well as he bats and took three wickets. The second innings followed and England replied with quite a meek 185, leaving the Aussies needing 177 to win. A last wicket stand from Lee and Kasprowicz took them to within two runs of victory until Harmison bowled a brilliant bouncer that brushed the glove of the final batsman, and was caught by Geraint Jones. That made the honours even at 1-1, and a third test draw took England closer to a victorious campaign.

The fourth test saw another England victory, another close affair. England batted first again making an impressive 477. The second evening’s bowling directed towards Australia was a master class in line length and swing. Matthew Hoggard found the front pad of the openers with ease, and Harmison’s speed bowling in the dying light undid the top order, leaving the Aussies on 99-5 at the end of the days play. They had little trouble tumbling the remaining wickets the next day and did the almost unthinkable; they made Australia follow on for the first time since their lax days in 1988. England needed to chase down 129 to win, but an amazing spell of spin from Shane Warne made it nervy getting there. It was left to tail-enders Hoggard and Giles to hit the winning runs as Warne had decimated the top order. They hit them and left England needing just a draw at The Oval to win.

Pietersen essentially won the series with a stand of 158 at the Oval on the final days play of the final test. England only needed a draw to recapture the cremated remains of a set of bails that dated more than a hundred years old. When he approached the crease he was in the unenviable position of being next on McGrath’s hit list for a hat trick. Yet instead he was dropped 3 times during his innings and after a particularly nervous lunch break with England far from secure, he repeatedly launched fast bowler Brett Lee for consecutive sixes. A glut of fours and careful dodges of Warne’s effective spin ate the time away and left Australia with too few overs in the bank at the end of days play to finish it off. Pietersen finished as the series top run scorer, and Flintoff as best wicket taker, giving England back the Ashes for the first time in 20 year and providing English sport with something to be proud of again.