Cricket Classics - Part XXii : England vs Australia – 2005 Ashes, Edgbaston Test
Hello, fellow Sports Enthusiasts,
Cricket is not just a sport between two teams; it's a battle of skills, strategy, and capitalizing on clutch moments. Although the game has transformed over the decades, it has never failed to impress or leave us with unforgettable moments.
So, through this series, I will present some of the most iconic cricket matches that have made fans jump out of their seats. Let's remember those legendary games once a week. I am with another iconic match.
Recently, I saw a video where Andrew Flintoff was destroying the Australian Test Squad with an all-around performance. It was in the 2005 Ashes series. This series is considered as one of the best ever, where England won the tournament with 5 matches as 2-1, for the first time since 1986–87. In this the second match was the one that's still talking about.
You know, from the late 1990s to the better part of the 2000s, the Australian cricket team was nothing but extraordinary. The whole Cricket world is scared of them across all formats for the talent, consistency, and Fearless Mentality.
Ricky Ponting captained the team with some legendary names: Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Adam Gilchrist, Michael Clarke, Brett Lee, and Matthew Hayden,. Coming as the defending champions, they won the first match easily by 239 runs.
The England team was led by Michael Vaughan, with Andrew Flintoff, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Paul Collingwood, and Strauss, etc. They were not having the greatest time in World Cricket for a long time, but were trying hard to make a difference.
Australia won the toss and elected to field. Marcus Trescothick and Andrew Strauss of England got a good start against the lethal attack from the Aussies, putting up a 112 partnership for the first wicket. Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen solidified the middle order with fifties. More importantly, they were scoring quickly, giving pressure back to the Aussies. After a good fight, they put in a total of 407/10.
Justin Langer and Hayden opened the batting. Steve Harmison started with a maiden over, and in the next over by Matthew Hoggard, Hayden was out for a golden duck. From there Langer and Ponting buld the inning, but Aussies lost wicket in regular intervals. Australia were bowled out for 308 with a lead of 99 runs for England.
England's second inning was a disaster. Once again, thanks to 73 runs from Andrew Flintoff, they scored 182 runs. Warne and Brett Lee did the trick with six and four wickets respectively.
Chasing down a target of 282, they started well. But then comes Flintoff with a one hell of an over. No words to say, just watch it.
From there, the middle order tried to build the inning, but England ballers took regular wickets. At one point, they were 137/7, where a win was nearby. Anyway, Clarke partnered with Warne and added runs, but the last recognized batter, Clarke, fell at 175/8. Aussies still didn't give up. Lee and Warne fought hard and added another 45 runs. When Warne goes, they needed 62 runs more with just one wicket.
But Lee and Michael Kasprowicz held firm with a gritty 10th wicket stand. Anyway, with just 3 runs needed, Kasprowicz was caught behind off Harmison. England won the match by just 2 runs.
That was some good Cricket. Both teams played equally well, making Test Cricket live over and over. Flintoff was the hero of the match with 68 runs & 3/52 in the first inning and 73 runs & 4/79 in the second.
See you at the next episode!! You can always suggest a match to discuss in the next episode.
src - espncricinfo
Wikipedia
Thank you.
Best Regards!
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My brother-in-law has the highlights of this series on DVD and it's this test, that has got my 11 year old nephew obsessed with cricket. If we're all still here in 10 years time, I have little doubt that I'll be sharing stories of him playing professionally.