Ashes 2005: The greatest series ever?
Ashes 2005: The greatest series ever?
A look back on the epic encounter between England and Australia, 20 years on...
By David Currie
This summer's Test series between England and India was widely considered to have been the best and most dramatic since the 2005 Ashes.
Twenty years on from that epic enounter, and with another Ashes on the horizon this winter, we look back on how that memorable summer unfolded.
"It's about entertaining the crowd and playing the sort of cricket people want to watch on the TV and listen to [on the radio].
"That's going to be our style, whoever we play against. We're going to look to entertain and have fun - and it would be great to do that against Australia."
Sound familiar?
Though they could easily be the words of the current coach Brendon McCulluem or captain Ben Stokes, it's actually the message Michael Vaughan delivered to his England side some two decades back as they took on a fearsome Australian side containing some of the game's greats - Ricky Ponting, Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath, among numerous others.
But just how did England pull off such a stunning series victory in 2005?
First Test: Lord's
(July 21-25)
Australia 190; Langer (40), Harmison (5-43) & 384; Clarke (91), Harmison (3-54)
England 155; Pietersen (57), McGrath (5-53) & 180; Pietersen (64no), McGrath (4-29)
AUSTRALIA WIN BY 239 RUNS
England came into the 2005 Ashes with history very much stacked against them.
Not only had it been 18 years since their last series win, on Australian soil, but they had won only seven of the 44 Tests played out between the two teams over that span.
Four of those came in dead rubber clashes at the back-end of the respective tours, while two were achieved with England holding only the hope of drawing the series (and therefore Australia still retaining the Ashes).
The only win to buck the trend was Nasser Hussain’s double-hundred inspired effort at Edgbaston in 1997 that earned England a 1-0 advantage – the only time they’d earned a lead over the best part of the last two decades.
There was, however, cause for optimism that ’05 could be different, with England having won their previous five series, a span which included seven Test wins from seven the previous summer and impressive tour wins in the West Indies and South Africa.
But this was an Australia outfit at the absolute peak of their powers. Seeing England’s fine recent form, they raised them an unbeaten series record spanning more than four years, which included a first win in India for 25 years the previous winter.
And so much of what unfolded over the next four days at Lord’s pointed to ‘business as usual’, England collapsing to a 239-run defeat with McGrath chief destroyer yet again from the Pavilion End.
McGrath (5-53) ripped out England’s top five in the first innings, claiming Marcus Trescothick as his 500th Test wicket before adding Andrew Strauss and then cleaning up Vaughan, Ian Bell and Andrew Flintoff – all bowled – in reducing the hosts to 21-5 at one stage.
McGrath (4-29) then shared the load with the legendary Warne (4-64) in the second innings, the former stretching his wicket tally over three Tests at the Home of Cricket to a staggering 26 victims at just 11.50. For Warne, it was just the start of an extraordinary tour in which he claimed a massive 40 wickets at 19.92 a pop.
And yet, for all that McGrath and Warne exposed the same familiar failings, there was also enough fight shown from England to suggest the same inferiority complex that had plagued them the 18 years prior was no longer present.
England threw some punches; Steve Harmison (5-43) quite literally drew blood from Ponting with a fearsome bouncer as Australia were bundled out for 190 on the first morning; Kevin Pietersen charged McGrath and launched him into the Pavilion for six as he made back-to-back fifties on his Test debut.
Beaten again but this England side were far from buried.
Second Test: Edgbaston
(August 4-8)
England 407; Trescothick (90), Warne (4-116) & 182; Flintoff (73), Warne (6-46)
Australia 308; Langer (82), Flintoff (3-52) & 279; Lee (43no), Flintoff (4-79)
ENGLAND WIN BY TWO RUNS
While McGrath proved their scourge at Lord’s, England’s preparations for the second Test at Edgbaston centred more on Warne and how they could counter the prodigious leg-spinner.
They enlisted the help of Merlin. No, not the wizard, but the bowling machine, which was able to replicate Warne’s multiple methods of delivery and get the England batters accustomed to the unique threat he posed.
Though the wickets for Warne didn’t exactly dry up, many of their batters credited Merlin with the no-fear approach they were able to adopt over the series – one which was certainly evident on the first day at Edgbaston as England racked up over 400 on the first day.
Circumstance, admittedly, also played into the hosts’ hands on that opening morning in the midlands as McGrath was ruled out of the Test after suffering an ankle injury in the warm-up. If Australia were in any doubt as to what to do at the toss, surely the loss of their primary pace bowler would push them towards batting?
No. Ponting boldly proclaimed his side were to bowl first after he called correctly, prompting a wide smirk from his opposing skipper Vaughan to be caught on camera.
England never looked back following the good fortune, Trescothick top-scoring with 90, sharing in a century opening stand with Strauss (48), while Pietersen (71) and Flintoff (68) too fired in a hundred partnership of their own.
Trailing by 99 on first innings, Australia threatened to fight their way back into the game on the back of Warne’s coattails once more, with the leg-spinner ragging one square late on the second evening to clean bowl and totally bamboozle Strauss, looking to leave.
It would be the first of six wickets for Warne (6-46) in the innings as England were rolled out for 182 second time round. But the hosts had their own talismanic figure, a certain ‘Freddie’ Flintoff, who was about to take the series and the summer by storm.
Flintoff’s swashbuckling 73 off 86 balls – containing six fours and four sixes, one smashed handsomely back over the bowler’s head and onto the roof – not only ensured England had a more intimidating target of 282 with which to defend, but he then bowled the over of the series to set the side on course for victory.
Flintoff, on a hat-trick from the first innings, couldn’t dislodge Justin Langer first ball, but bowled him with his second. Two lbw shouts followed, either side of a thickish edge that failed to carry to the slips. A no-ball extended Ponting’s torment and he succumbed to the bonus ball for the over, nicking through to Geraint Jones.
A rampant England outfit ran through the rest of the Aussie line-up, but Warne and Michael Clarke proved tougher to dislodge late in the day until “a staggering gamble” of a slower ball from Harmison – as described by commentator Mark Nicholas on Channel 4 – proved Clarke’s undoing.
Just two further wickets needed on the fourth morning, with Australia still some 107 runs adrift, the equation was simple for England, wasn’t it?
Quite the opposite. The runs agonisingly ticked by, Australia creeping ever closer to the target, unperturbed even by the loss of Warne still 62 short of their target.
When, with four required, Brett Lee creamed one to the cover boundary, he and most of the watching masses in the stands and at home thought that was it, game over. But no, picking out the fielder, Lee and Michael Kasprowicz instead crossed for a single.
Two balls later, an unforgettable Test match became immortal as Kasprowicz gloved a Harmison bouncer behind to clinch a two-run win for England.
Third Test: Old Trafford
(August 11-15)
England 444; Vaughan (166), Warne (4-99) & 280-6 dec; Strauss (106), McGrath (5-115)
Australia 302; Warne (90), Jones (6-53) & 371-9; Ponting (156), Flintoff (4-71)
MATCH DRAWN
The lasting image from the third Test at Old Trafford was undoubtedly the hoards of people who turned up to the gates on the final morning of the Test as Ashes fever gripped the nation.
Following off the back of the thrilling entertainment at Edgbaston, everyone was desperate to get a glimpse of the action as, entering the fifth morning of the Test match in Manchester, all results were still possible.
Australia, having been set 423 to win, were 24 without loss overnight. England were certainly favourites to take a 2-1 lead in the series – their dominant position set up by superb centuries from Vaughan (166) and Strauss (106) in the first and second innings respectively, as well as some devastating reverse-swing bowling from Simon Jones (6-53) – but there would again be plenty of twists and turns in the game’s final throes.
Matthew Hoggard got England off to a flier, claiming the wicket of Langer with his first ball to open the second over of the day, while Flintoff added the scalp of Matthew Hayden, bowled round his legs.
England continued to chip away at one end, Harmison rather fortuitously picking up Damien Martyn lbw as a thick inside edge went undetected and Flintoff – as was becoming habitual over the series – claiming the key wicket of Adam Gilchrist, but Ponting was immovable at the other.
The Australian captain struck their first century of the series, a majestic 156, to not only keep his side afloat but at one point flirt with chasing the runs down.
That threat was at its greatest when he had the support of Clarke and Warne in the middle in respective stands of 81 and 76 for the sixth and eighth wickets.
Jones eventually accounted for Clarke with one of the most memorable balls of the series, the batter shouldering arms to a vicious in-swinger that ripped out his off stump, while Warne – as we entered the final 10 overs of the day – was done for in dramatic fashion, with a thick edge to second slip deflecting off Strauss’ knee and, incredibly, into the outstretched right mitt of the diving Jones behind the stumps.
Still Ponting remained, until, with 25 balls to go, Harmison finally broke his resistance, the Australian skipper gloving behind when looking to hook a ball banged in halfway down.
It set up yet another thrilling climax, but neither Flintoff or Harmison could dislodge the stubborn final-wicket pairing of Lee and McGrath as Australia counted down the deliveries and held on for a famous draw.
Vaughan gathered his charges in a huddle at the end of the game and made a point for them to watch the wild celebrations on the Australian balcony. A drawn Test with England greeted with such raw, unbridled joy as if it was to win the series.
His side had come a long way. They had the tourists on the ropes, but could they now deliver the knockout blow?
Fourth Test: Trent Bridge
(August 25-28)
England 477; Flintoff (102), Warne (4-102) & 129-7; Trescothick (27), Warne (4-31)
Australia 218; Lee (47), Jones (5-44) & 387 (following on); Langer (61), Harmison (3-93)
ENGLAND WIN BY THREE WICKETS
England’s win at Trent Bridge, though taking them to the cusp of a momentous Ashes triumph, couldn’t quite be described as the aforementioned ‘knockout blow’ – due to the series still riding on the final Test at The Oval, but also due to the nature of their victory in Nottingham.
Far from emphatic, England again squeaked over the line in a nail-biting finish on the fourth evening – despite having been utterly dominant over the first three days.
Flintoff (102) fired a maiden Ashes hundred as England posted their highest score of the series of 477 before managing to pull off what they couldn’t quite a couple of weeks earlier in enforcing the follow on – the first time Australia were forced to do so in 17 years and 190 Tests.
There would be no batting heroics from Ponting this time round as Hayden, himself and Martyn were ripped out in the space of 11 deliveries, while Strauss claimed a sensational one-handed catch diving to his left at slip to see off Gilchrist.
Jones (5-44) accounted for Ponting on his way to another impressive five-for as the tourists were bowled out for 218. Though it would sadly prove to be Jones’ final act for England, barring four second-innings overs.
The then 26-year-old was forced off with an ankle injury and that, combined with knee troubles, would ultimately put an end to a hugely promising international career.
Jones’s absence on that third afternoon, however, would somewhat fortuitously play into England’s favour, as substitute fielder Gary Pratt added his name to Ashes folklore with the run out of Ponting via a direct hit. The Australian captain famously then stormed off the field spewing obscenities towards the home dressing room after having previously complained of England’s use of subs through the series.
Still Australia stubbornly fought on, moving into the lead courtesy of a century stand between Clarke (56) and Simon Katich (59) for the fifth wicket, while Warne (45) – as had often been the case that summer – provided some useful lower-order runs.
When Australia were finally bowled out for 387 second time round, England were left with the modest total of 129 to chase. A 2-1 lead was within touching distance. Until back came Warne (4-31)…
With hindsight, his introduction in the fifth over was four too late, given Trescothick had already helped chip 32 away from that target by the time of his introduction. Warne swiftly saw the back of him with his first ball, added the wicket of Vaughan to start his second over and, by the time he and Lee combined to dismiss Strauss and Bell in the space of three deliveries, England were suddenly reeling at 57-4.
Pietersen and Flintoff steadied the ship somewhat with a near fifty partnership until Lee accounted for the pair and Warne added Jones soon after.
Thirteen agonising runs still required, three wickets remaining, but Ashley Giles and Hoggard combined to just about steer England over the line and into an Ashes lead.
Fifth Test: The Oval
(September 8-12)
England 373; Strauss (129), Warne (6-122) & 335; Pietersen (158), Warne (6-124)
Australia 367; Hayden (138), Flintoff (5-78) & 4-0
MATCH DRAWN (England win series 2-1)
And so it all came down to a decider at The Oval.
England would need only to draw the final Test to secure a first Ashes series win in 18 years and finally get their hands back on that famous urn. Australia, on the other hand, could ensure it remained in their possession with a series-levelling win.
After England won a third toss in a row and opted to bat first, Warne again stole the show for Australia.
On a day one pitch perfect for batting, Warne claimed five-for, on his way to 12 for the Test. His exploits just about managed to keep Australia in the hunt, after Strauss and Trescothick had got the hosts off to a cracking start with an 84-run opening partnership and with the former building on that platform to score his second century of the series.
Strauss (129) was also superbly supported by Flintoff (72) in a 143-run partnership for the fifth wicket but he fell to Warne (6-122) late in the day for his fifth, and the Aussie great returned to wrap up the innings early on day two.
England’s 373 didn’t look to be enough as, albeit interrupted regularly by rain over the next two days, Australia pulled to within 100 of their total off the back of centuries for both Hayden (138) and Langer (105).
But up stepped Flintoff to again leave another indelible mark on the series and on Australia’s batters as he finished with 5-78 to inspire an almighty collapse from the tourists on the fourth morning – their final seven wickets falling for just 24 runs.
It earned England a precious six-run lead entering the second innings. Every run absolutely vital as they looked to bat out the final day for a draw.
Strauss again fell victim to Warne late on the fourth evening, this time for the addition of only one run, and Vaughan and Bell were swiftly snaffled to consecutive McGrath deliveries the following morning.
Australia had an opening, and they nearly forced that door wide open with a McGrath hat-trick, as Pietersen came oh so close to gloving his first ball to second slip. Despite the boisterous appeals from the Aussie infielders, ball hit shoulder and he survived – just as he did when dropped twice early on in his innings.
Gilchrist and Hayden first combined to put down a difficult chance with KP still on nought, off Warne, while the great man himself shelled him on 11, a much simpler opportunity that flew straight to him at slip. Dumbfounded by his error, Warne was left to ponder if he’d ‘dropped the Ashes’.
Those early reprieves prompted Pietersen to go into full attack mode and he swiftly launched Warne for two sixes – the first of seven for his innings – in the very next over. The pace of Lee was proving trickier to tame, however, until a spot of encouragement from Vaughan at lunch to take on the short ball.
Lee’s first three overs after the interval cost him 37 runs and he was withdrawn from the attack. Battle won, but the Test match and the Ashes were still far from secured, with England five wickets down by this point and leading by 177 with plenty of time left.
Paul Collingwood – in for the injured Simon Jones – dug in for 51 MBE-worthy deliveries before becoming Warne’s 10th victim of the match, while Geraint Jones was quickly cleaned up by Shaun Tait.
Enter Giles, for his second stellar batting cameo in as many Tests. He and Pietersen teamed up for 109 crucial, Ashes-clinching runs, with Pietersen (158) motoring through to the finest of maiden Test hundreds – his first of 23 for England – and Giles (59) marching on to a majestic half-century of his own.
Warne (6-124) and McGrath (3-85) combined to end the innings but far from bidding farewell to their fans with Ashes urn in hand, the two greats bowed out for the last time on English soil with that rarest of feelings, defeat.
In the fading September light, just four deliveries of Australia’s innings were possible before that now-iconic moment which saw umpires Rudi Koertzen and Billy Bowden remove the bails.
England, Ashes champions.
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