Heroes to zeroes

skysports.com relives all the action of England's 2005 Ashes triumph and the ensuing whitewash.

Oli Burley recalls how English jubilation became despair

The 2005 Ashes will go down as one of the greatest series of modern times - at least for England fans! Michael Vaughan's side entered the home contest aiming to end 18 years of Australian domination but few could have predicted the drama to come. Tense, tight and utterly absorbing the nation was gripped as England secured a famous victory. Yet the tickertape had barely settled on their victory parade before the sides faced each other again in Brisbane - and it proved the dawn of a familiar story. Here, Oli Burley looks back at how both series played out and how England went from Ashes heroes to whitewashed zeroes.

Aussies Lord it

The 2005 Ashes began in humble fashion for England who crashed to a demoralising 239-run defeat in the first Test at Lord's despite two gallant half-centuries by Kevin Pietersen. An incredible 17 wickets tumbled on the first day as the hosts, inspired by Steve Harmison, removed Australia for just 190 only to collapse to 21- 5 in reply against the prodigious Glenn McGrath on their way to the first of two sub-200 totals. Hence, the odds of Australia securing a ninth consecutive Ashes success were short at best until chance intervened and McGrath stood on a cricket ball 75 minutes before the second Test at Edgbaston began and, in his absence, England chalked up 407. Andrew Flintoff then bashed the home side into a second-innings lead of 281 despite Shane Warne's 6-46 and it proved just enough as the leg-spinner and Brett Lee rallied Australia from 175-8 only to fall two runs short of their target in a pulsating climax. The intensity was cranked up a further notch at Old Trafford as Warne passed 600 wickets and Michael Vaughan scored a majestic 166, but it was reverse swing that highlighted the reversed fortunes as Simon Jones bowled England into a lead of 142. Andrew Strauss (106) compounded the damage and it took a magnificent rearguard 156 from skipper Ricky Ponting to give Australia a hope of saving the game, which they did as last-pair Lee and McGrath survived the final, nervy 24 balls.

Dramatic

There was Trent Bridge trauma for Australia from the off as Marcus Trescothick and Strauss opened up with a century stand and Flintoff cracked a century, before Jones (5-44) forced the tourists to follow-on for the first time in 191 Tests spanning 17 years. This time there was no escape and Ponting, incensed at being run out by substitute fielder Gary Pratt, could not inspire his side to defend as lowly a target of 129 despite the genius of Warne (4-31) and Ashley Giles held his nerve to secure a three-wicket victory that put England into a 2-1 lead. By now cricket fever was firmly rooted and as Justin Langer (105) and Matthew Hayden (138) matched Strauss (129), and Warne (6-122) and Flintoff (5-78) continued their duel, fans and casual observers alike were gripped as the fate of the urn hung in the balance at the Oval. England were 67-3, just 73 ahead, when Pietersen entered the fray on a dramatic final day and the showman, after being dropped by Warne on 15, struck a decisive 158 that together with Ashley Giles' 58 proved good enough to draw the game and secure the Ashes. The celebrations were fulsome in Kennington as Vaughan, feted for his supreme captaincy, raised the Ashes in a maelstrom of ticker-tape to officially end 16 years of misery for English fans and again later in Trafalgar Square after a joyous victory procession. New Year's honours flowed once the champagne receptions dried up but the real legacy of the sensational series was a whole host of feats and memories that will be forever etched into cricketing folklore.

Suffering

England's suffering in the 2006/07 series began from the moment they lost the first Test toss in Brisbane and were asked to field, whereupon Harmison bowled the first ball of the series to second slip. Ponting started to make amends for his side's defeat in 2005 by scoring 196 in a first-innings tally of 602-9 declared before veteran McGrath bagged 6-50 as the tourists were shot out for 157. The hosts piled on the misery by batting again and setting England 648 to win and although Paul Collingwood and Pietersen showed some defiance they could not stave off a thumping loss, by a margin of 277 runs. More pain followed in Adelaide where, after being in control for much of the first four days, England suffered a shocking final-day slump to lose by six wickets. Collingwood's superb 206 and Kevin Pietersen's 158 lifted the tourists to 551-6 before, with the world champions in some trouble at 79-3 in reply, Giles dropped Ponting on 35 enabling the skipper the opportunity to crack another ton that steered his side up to within 39 runs. England began the final draw-destined day on 59-1 but collapsed dramatically to 129 all out against leg-spinner Warne (4-49) to give the effervescent Mike Hussey (61no) the chance to lead Australia home. England initially picked themselves up in Perth where Monty Panesar's belated Ashes debut yielded 5-92 as Australia were shot out for 244 but they then went on to concede a first-innings deficit of 29. The recalled Andrew Symonds (2-8) tore out the tourists' middle-order and Hussey and Michael Clarke put the boot in by scoring tons before Adam Gilchrist delivered the killer-blow by smashing the second fastest in Test history off 57 balls. Although Alastair Cook (116) and Ian Bell resisted stoutly, the urn officially exchanged hands two balls after lunch on day five when England lost by 206 runs. Flintoff's side had held the Ashes for just 463 days, the shortest ever defence. More history was made in the fourth Test in Melbourne, where Warne stole the show by becoming the first bowler to take 700 Test wickets on his way to figures of 5-39 as England scored 159 after opting to bat. The visitors did battle back but with Australia on 84-5 Hayden and Symonds staged an awesome recovery by sharing a stand of 279 that powered the home side into a decisive first-innings lead of 260. England capitulated in their second dig from 41-0 to 161 all out to go 4-0 down inside three days as Lee (4-47) and Stuart Clark (3- 30) excelled, while Warne's 2-46 proved enough to earn him the man-of-the-match award in his hometown Test.