2005 ashes tour

2005 Ashes retrospective: Reliving all 22 days of the greatest series of all time

Sport 2005 Ashes retrospective: Reliving all 22 days of the greatest series of all time

Australia's current winter journey to England and Wales marks the 10-year anniversary of what many would consider the greatest series of Test cricket ever played. Relive all 22 days of the classic 2005 Ashes series with Grandstand's retrospective timeline.

Lord's, day one: England erupts, Australia responds

July 21, 2005.

The long build up to the opening Test of this English summer felt different to those that had come before it. Australia had been close to untouchable for what seemed like an eternity of Ashes contests, but had faltered embarrassingly at times in the lead-up ODIs, while England's run of red-ball form sent confidence and optimism flying.

England went for youth and flair in their side in the form of the mohawked Kevin Pietersen, who was preferred to veteran Graham Thorpe. Australia's team largely picked itself, with Michael Clarke and Simon Katich filling the middle order spots ahead of Brad Hodge.

The crowds came to Lord's early, and so too did the clouds, but Ricky Ponting won the toss and gave Australia first crack with the bat. But, as if all of their planning had been based around making an impact in the opening hour, England erupted with the ball.

Steve Harmison, at the peak of his career, was fast and hostile, and left a resounding mark on opener Justin Langer's arm with a rearing short ball. Langer would settle, but the swing of Matthew Hoggard would soon send Matthew Hayden on his way.

Harmison continued his rampage to Ponting, drawing blood from the skipper with a bouncer that rattled the helmet. He too would soon be dismissed, prodding to a wide ball outside his off-stump.

Andrew Flintoff had never played a Test against Australia before this one, and wasted no time in making his mark. He had Langer caught at square leg, while Damien Martyn and Clarke were dismissed soon after.

The Australian rot had set in, and despite brief respite from Adam Gilchrist and Katich, the innings would be put to bed halfway through the second session, Australia all out for 190 and Harmison boasting five of the wickets.

England achieved its first aim of surviving to tea, but when Glenn McGrath claimed the wicket of Marcus Trescothick - his 500th in Test cricket - from the first ball of the session, the game turned dramatically.

McGrath then found Andrew Strauss's edge, clean bowled Michael Vaughan, forced Ian Bell to chop one on and knocked Flintoff's off stump clean out. He had all five wickets as England collapsed to 5 for 21.

Brett Lee picked up two more late in the day through nothing more than sheer pace, to leave England reeling at 7 for 92.

Lord's, day two: Australia piles on the runs

July 22, 2005.

Pietersen had impressed in a brief cameo late on day one as carnage carried on around him, but he quickly showcased his skills further on day two.

McGrath had been near enough unplayable the day before, but a series of shots from debutant Pietersen proved he was not interested in bowing down to the greats of the game. First a flat bat four down the ground, second a stunning six into the second tier back over the bowler's head. 50 on debut for Pietersen made him clearly England's standout with the bat.

He would fall to Shane Warne for 57, going after one big stroke too many and falling to a terrific Martyn catch at cow corner. Shane Warne and Lee would sort out the remaining two wickets despite some handy runs from the tail to bowl England out for 155.

Pietersen would not stay out of the action for long though, sending Langer packing with a fantastic bit of fielding, gathering and underarming at short mid-wicket to run the opener out for just 6. But this time, the collapse would not come.

Australia was far from its best, with almost every player making a solid start without kicking on, but those starts would add up to a competitive total. When Michael Clarke fell for 91 late in the day, the score read 4 for 255.

Three more late wickets would fall to keep English spirits up, but by stumps the Australian lead had stretched to 314.

Lord's, day three: England collapses as Australia closes in

July 23, 2005.

Simon Katich was the key wicket England needed early on day three, but the dogged left-hander was resilient. Jason Gillespie proved a handy partner as the pair put on 52, and even Glenn McGrath was able to hold up an end successfully while Katich pushed the target further away from England.

When the final wicket eventually fell, after England had butchered no fewer than three catching attempts, Australia had set it 420 runs to win. A world record chase was required.

England quickly decided attack was the best course of action, taking on the opening pair and trying to do similarly with Warne. Strauss and Trescothick raced to 0 for 80 before Lee held on to an acrobatic caught and bowled chance.

From there, the game sped up again. Warne dismissed Trescothick, Vaughan was brilliantly bowled by Lee and Bell found himself humiliated by a Warne slider. When Flintoff fell late, England was 5 for 119.

But debutant Pietersen was again defiant, combining with Geraint Jones to see out the remainder of the day, with Australia needing five wickets to win. Only rain could save England now.

Lord's, day four: Rain only delays inevitable as Australia goes up 1-0

July 24, 2005.

For a brief while, it looked like that rain might come to England's rescue. The covers stayed on and the playing cards stayed out until just before the scheduled tea time, before play finally got underway. Ten overs later, the match would be over.

The final four batsmen all fell for ducks as McGrath and Warne cleaned up the tail. Perfect symmetry was achieved in the final dismissal as Simon Jones edged McGrath into the hands of Warne at first slip - the old timers had done the job again.

There were glimpses of what was to come in this series at Lord's, but they were only glimpses. English optimism took a severe beating thanks to a 239 run loss, and Australia could be forgiven for assuming the status quo would remain unmoved.

McGrath was named man of the match.

Edgbaston, day one: McGrath goes down as England punishes Ponting

August 4, 2005.

Many still believe the series was decided on this day at Edgbaston, before a ball had even been bowled. Both teams looked like going into the match unchanged from Lord's, but Australia's campaign was thrown into chaos when McGrath trod on a cricket ball and injured his ankle in the warm up.

Man of the match in the series opener, McGrath was now in agony and on his way to hospital, pale as the whites his replacement, Michael Kasprowicz, would be wearing. But Ponting was undeterred. He won the toss and chose to bowl. The first session would be critical.

And England was unbelievable. Strauss and Trescothick bludgeoned Australia to all parts in an innings of aggression that was before its time. The faster Lee and Gillespie bowled, the faster the ball went to the fence.

Australia dropped catches and took wickets off no-balls, and when Trescothick became the second wicket to fall just after lunch, the score was already 2 for 164.

Bell and Vaughan failed again, but Pietersen and Flintoff teed off, both hitting electrifying half-centuries as a disbelieving Australian team watched on in wonder. This was an altogether new experience for them.

There were no centuries but thanks to more runs from the tail, England was bowled out for 407 in less than 80 overs - the first time Australia had conceded 400 runs on the opening day of a Test since 1938.

Edgbaston, day two: Australia fights back with the bat

August 5, 2005.

Things could hardly have started worse for Australia, with Hayden chipping one to short cover for his first ever Test golden duck.

The frenetic pace of the match continued during Langer's partnership with Ponting though, with the captain in particular looking in fantastic touch with a series of majestic straight drives. But the maligned Giles would make the breakthrough, getting Ponting to loft a sweep to short fine leg.

The trend would continue throughout the day. Clarke, Martyn and Gilchrist all got starts but were not able to kick on as Giles found some form and Simon Jones started to give Australia a taste of his reverse swing. Flintoff cleaned up the tail and Australia was all out for 308.

But there was still time for some magic. With only a handful of overs left in the day, Australia threw Warne the ball in hope for some inspiration - naturally, he delivered. The ball he produced to dismiss Strauss just before the close of play is now iconic, and may be the biggest turning leg break of his career.

England still held the crucial lead though, and would close the day up by 124 runs.

Edgbaston, day three: Freddy steals the show, England almost home

August 6, 2005.

Australia needed a fast start with the ball, so naturally it would be its fastest bowler who would deliver it. Lee was in scintilating touch early on day three, dismissing Trescothick, Vaughan and night-watchman Hoggard before most spectators had settled in their seats.

The game had changed again, and although Pietersen and Bell steadied the ship somewhat, they were both back in the sheds with the lead having only just gone past 150.

Australia probably did not appreciate it yet, but England still had itself one hell of a matchwinner in Flintoff. He ignored a sore shoulder to launch an awe-inspiring counter-attack, hitting six fours and four sixes - including one from Lee that ended up out of the ground - on his way to an unforgettable 73.

The tail had stuck by Flintoff and he had set up the match for England. Australia needed 282 runs to win. Hayden and Langer started in fine fashion, chipping away at the target to reach 0 for 47 in relatively quick time before Flintoff again made his mark.

It is an over that will live long in Ashes folklore, when Flintoff picked up his team and pushed them towards victory in just seven balls. He dismissed Langer with the second of the over, before rattling Ponting's pads and beating the edge in the next three.

A no-ball gave him one more crack at the Australian captain, and it was all he needed. Ponting edged, Geraint Jones caught and Edgbaston exploded. It is not unreasonable to suggest English cricket completely changed in those seven deliveries, such was the swing in momentum.

The runs kept flowing but so too did the wickets. Hayden, Martyn and Katich blew good starts, before Gilchrist's meek dismissal from Giles's bowling looked to have signalled the end. The last ball of the day surely sealed Australia's fate when Harmison snuck a brilliant slower ball under Clarke's bat, reducing Australia to 8 for 175.

England needed two wickets, Australia 107 runs. Surely there was only one way this could go.

Edgbaston, day four: History made amid unbearable tension

August 7, 2005.

With seemingly nothing to lose, Australia opted to counter-attack with the stubborn Warne leading the charge. The pair took 45 off the target in quick time as England, for the first time, recognised a potential problem.

But when Warne inexplicably kicked over his own stumps from the bowling of Flintoff, the race appeared to be run. Australia still needed 62 runs, while England was just one wicket away with Lee and Kasprowicz at the crease.

The bowling became hostile, with Lee suddenly on the end of the sort of brutality he was more accustomed to dishing out. He did not flinch though, and hit some marvellous shots as the runs started to add up.

It's the most vivid delivery that I'll replay in my mind for the rest of my life. It just got big quick and I didn't see too much of it.

Giles copped the worst of the punishment, but the batsmen found ways to find the boundary off the quicks too. When Simon Jones dropped Kasprowicz at third man with 15 required, England could have been forgiven for thinking another missed opportunity was imminent.

When Lee bludgeoned a Harmison full toss to deep point for a single, three runs were left to win. Edgbaston had all but fallen silent.

The despair on the faces of the England team in the moments before Harmison's final ball served only to make the celebrations greater. He would bowl short, Kasprowicz would fend down the leg side, Geraint Jones would take the catch and Billy Bowden would give it out.

The sight of Flintoff placing an empathetic arm across the bruised and defeated Lee would define the series, but the wild celebrations continued around them. Australia was beaten, though not disgraced. But England was reborn.

Old Trafford, day one - Vaughan silences critics as Australia implodes

August 11, 2005.

McGrath returned to the line-up to partner Lee - who himself had to pass a late fitness test to earn selection - as England remained unchanged. The toss fell the hosts' way, and they naturally opted to bat first.

Lee struck the first blow with a sensational double act - first striking Strauss' helmet with a lightning quick bouncer before deceiving him with a slower yorker that rattled the stumps.

If the start was positive for Australia, the rest was a complete disappointment. Vaughan had struggled for runs all series but suddenly looked composed, while Trescothick was yet again a thorn in the side of the Australians.

He would fall for 63, handing Warne his 600th Test wicket in the process, but Vaughan could not be stopped.

He had his luck - at one point Vaughan was dropped and bowled off a no ball from consecutive McGrath deliveries - but the elegance of the skipper's knock was unquestioned. He would soon pass his ton, the first from any batsmen of the series.

He passed 150 before holing out from a Katich full toss, before a fearsome late spell with the new ball from Lee earned the wickets of Pietersen and nightwatchman Hoggard. The day, though, belonged to England.

Old Trafford, day two: England bowls itself into the ascendency

August 12, 2005.

Australia was looking to bat for time early on day two, and Hayden and Langer made a solid if unspectacular start before the latter was removed by an inspired catch from Bell at short leg.

From there, the wickets fell with regularity. Giles was suddenly a handful, removing Hayden shortly after Jones had got one to spit at Ponting, the Australian captain edging to gully.

The wickets that fell were quite something. Flintoff bowled a leaving Katich with a massive inswinger, while Giles produced the ball of his career to take the top of Martyn's off stump.

Some in England had the guts to compare Giles's ball to that of Warne's on the same ground 12 years earlier, but while Martyn ultimately suffered the same fate as Mike Gatting, the claims were merely proof of England's pleasure at seeing the tables turned on their oldest cricketing enemy.

Jones found the edge of Gilchrist's bat before a clearly injured Clarke was out playing a daft stroke late in the day. Only some fine hitting from Warne had kept Australia in it, which closed day two at 7 for 214 - 31 short of the follow on.

Old Trafford, day three: The rain offers Australia respite

August 13, 2005.

The Manchester clouds opened on the third day, much to the relief of Australia who had spent two days under siege.

Only 14 overs were bowled in a day that saw Australia avoid the follow on, Geraint Jones miss two straightforward chances with the gloves, and Warne keep Australia alive again.

When the day finally ended Australia was still 180 runs in arrears, but hope had returned, albeit fortuitously.

Old Trafford, day four: Strauss puts England in box seat

August 14, 2005.

The pain on Warne's face when he fell for 90 early in the day was obvious. Not only had he failed to see out any more time in Australia's fight-back, he had missed out on what, deep down, he knew would be his last chance at a Test ton.

Jones picked up the final two wickets to finish with six and Australia was bowled out for 302, a whole 122 behind England.

England went hard early, with Strauss leading the way. He had shown glimpses in this series, but on the fourth day at Old Trafford finally unleashed his full array of back and front foot weaponry.

He would have partners around him helping, Trescothick and Bell the pick of the bunch, but Strauss's combination of technique and aggression quickly took the game away from Australia.

He brought up his century but was unselfishly out soon after. When Vaughan called his men in soon after, England had set Australia 423 to win, an impossible task.

Old Trafford, day five: Revenge from Edgbaston as Australia holds on

August 15, 2005.

Thousands were turned away as Old Trafford filled up well in advance of the first ball of the morning. Six balls later, Langer edged Hoggard behind to Geraint Jones - a dream start for England.

The hosts knew they had a whole day to take 10 - now nine - Australian wickets, so patience was a virtue. The same could be said for Ponting though, who compiled one of the innings of his life through gritted teeth.

Long periods would go without a wicket, and then England would grab a handful in quick succession. It was gripping cricket, with the most skilful of batsmen taking on perhaps England's best ever fast bowling attack.

Ponting reached his century with an elegant cover drive, but when Clarke was spectacularly bowled by the rampant Jones the score read 6 for 236. The captain was now Australia's last hope.

We dominated all aspects. I don't think we lost a session.

Hoggard dismissed Gillespie, and Warne was incredibly caught by Geraint Jones who flew to hang on to a ball that had deflected off Strauss's knee at slip.

But then another twist. With four overs remaining, Ponting felt for a leg-side ball from Harmison, gloving it through to the keeper. He was gone for an unbelievable 156, Australia was nine down and England could taste it.

All of a sudden Lee was transported back to Edgbaston, wearing bouncers on the arm and fighting like hell to survive. McGrath, the last man you want to see in a batting crisis, was holding on bravely. It came to the last over.

Harmison was wayward, McGrath held his nerve. Lee scurried through for a bye to take responsibility for the last two balls. A deafening crowd was silenced as Harmison failed to get it right - Australia had held on for a draw.

Redemption for Australia, and redemption for Lee. But the series was on a knife's edge and was no closer to being decided.

Trent Bridge, day one: More punishment for wayward Aussies

August 25, 2005.

An elbow injury to McGrath saw him ruled out for the second time in the series, and the Australian selectors finally lost patience with Gillespie. Kasprowicz was recalled, and tearaway Shaun Tait was handed a Test debut. England, again, was unchanged. What luxury.

Another toss fell Vaughan's way and England immediately set out to pile on the runs. Strauss and Trescothick were in blistering touch, the latter particularly impressing with his unique stand-and-deliver style.

Australia bowled 18 no-balls before lunch - including one that spared Trescothick when he was bowled by Lee - and the hosts went to the first break 1 for 129.

Rain came at a handy time for Australia, if only to slow the runaway momentum England was accruing. When play resumed late in the afternoon, Tait was the first to strike, skittling Trescothick with a gem of an inswinger for his first Test wicket.

Tait also picked up the struggling Bell cheaply, before Vaughan and Pietersen again steadied the ship. Incredibly, it would be Ponting who would break the partnership, earning the slightest feather from Vaughan for a rare and well-celebrated wicket.

The score was 4 for 229 when play closed, a good start for England but a window of opportunity was still open for Australia.

Trent Bridge, day two: Freddy the hero as England dominates

August 26, 2005.

Not for the first time in this series, the day belonged to Andrew Flintoff. The big man was by now a one-man show and had the English public in the palm of his hands, so few were surprised when a bruising century was added to his accolades.

Flintoff found the perfect combination of class and power to render the Aussie attack helpless, the crowd in raptures with every stroke that smashed into or sailed over the fence.

He would fall for a memorable 102, but his partner Geraint Jones would carry on in style, reaching 85 before falling to a sharp return catch from Kasprowicz.

England was bowled out for 477, and sensed opportunity with the ball. It was swinging early, and Australia had no answer. Hayden, Ponting and Martyn were all trapped LBW before the score reached 25.

The impressive Hoggard claimed another when Langer gloved one to Bell at short leg, before Harmison trapped Clarke late in the day to leave Australia 5 for 99 at stumps and in dire straits.

Trent Bridge, day three: Australia follows on, Ponting blows up

August 27, 2005.

Controversy reigned on the third day, but not before Australia chanced its arm through the batting of Gilchrist, Katich and Lee. The handy runs took Australia's score to 218, but were not enough to avoid the follow on, which Vaughan enforced.

It was the kind of decision captains stake their careers on, and when Australia passed 50 with no loss, Vaughan's nerves were jangling. Hayden soon fell though, bringing Ponting to the crease.

One of the many subtexts playing out behind the series was Australia's opposition to England's use of substitute fielders, so when Gary Pratt ran Ponting out brilliantly for a hard-fought 48, tempers inevitably flared.

English coach Duncan Fletcher, perched over a balcony in his team's change room, took the brunt of the abuse. It was the first time aggression had spilled over throughout the series, and although Ponting issued an official apology, it was laced with frustration at the situation.

But Ponting had already played his part in a mini-fightback, and although Martyn was dismissed late in the day, Australia had a sniff at 4 for 222 at stumps.

Trent Bridge, day four: Bedlam at the Bridge as England goes ahead

August 28, 2005.

Of all the unbelievable days of Test cricket during this series, the final day at Trent Bridge was the most frantic, most fluctuating and most decisive.

It started at a slow pace, as Clarke and Katich looked to slowly take Australia past England's initial 477 run total and beyond. Clarke's 56 off 170 balls was perhaps the most mature innings of his career to that point, but he could not go on with it.

Every run was at a premium for both sides, and Australia was keen to kick on. Warne added a quick-fire 45, Katich fell for 59 and again Lee provided a handy 26 not out. Australia was bowled out for 387 - England needed 129 to win.

Immediately it became clear this match would be over before stumps. Trescothick flew out of the gates with a rapid 27 before the introduction of Warne in the sixth over brought his immediate wicket.

England have been on top from the moment the last ball of the first Test. If the guys can't get up for a game like the one we've got coming up, then they shouldn't be playing.

Then all hell broke loose. Warne got Vaughan for a duck, before having Strauss well caught by Clarke at leg slip. Lee was steaming in now, and proved too fast for Bell who top edged a hook shot down to Kasprowicz at fine leg. 4 for 57 - game well and truly on, Australia now in with a chance of retaining the Ashes here and now.

Australia's problem was the run rate, which had never subsided. Flintoff and Pietersen flayed away and looked to have settled the game, before Lee made another telling impact.

He had Pietersen caught at the wicket, before producing an unstoppable off-cutter to beat Flintoff's defence and knock back his off stump. 6 for 111 soon became 7 for 116 when Geraint Jones buckled under the pressure and holed out slogging. England still needed 13.

But, as was always likely to be the case, Australia was at least 30 runs short. Hoggard and Giles put their nerves aside and settled the game, picking off the remaining runs from Warne and Lee as a once nervous crowd found full voice again.

Giles turned away the winning runs, the most important of his career, and England was 2-1 up. Australia needed to win at The Oval or the urn was England's.

The Oval, day one: Strauss defies Warne to set England up

September 8, 2005.

England was forced into a change for the first time in the series as Simon Jones succumbed to an ankle injury, with all-rounder Paul Collingwood stepping in. McGrath returned for Australia, pushing Kasprowicz out.

The toss of the coin was thought to be crucial, and the cheers around The Oval echoed as much when Vaughan won his third straight toss and England set out to bat first for the fourth consecutive time.

Australia's quicks were wayward, England's openers were quickly on top and Ponting needed to throw the ball to Warne to force his team into action. From 0 for 82, England was 3 for 104 at lunch as the leg-spinner picked up three in quick succession.

Warne then took Pietersen straight after tea, but Flintoff offered the comfortable Strauss a willing partner. The two began to settle things down for the hosts, Strauss bringing up his second ton of the series in style.

Despite Warne incredibly spinning his way to five wickets on the first day of a Test, England closed at 7 for 309 - just marginally ahead on balance.

The Oval, day two: Australia's openers counter as the weather becomes a factor

September 9, 2005.

Australia needed early wickets on day two, and although Jones fell early, Giles and Harmison frustrated the tourists with some aggressive batting to take the total to 370 when the final wicket fell.

Aussie openers Langer and Hayden had failed to impact the series in the same way as Trescothick and Strauss, but finally found some form as light conditions began to deteriorate throughout the afternoon.

Langer took a particular liking to the bowling of Giles, sending him over the long-on fence on multiple occasions. But when the lights got worse and the umpires offered it to Australia, the batsmen took it.

Australia closed day two at 0 for 112 - 261 behind England still - and surely was hoping to only have to bat once in this decisive Test.

The Oval, day three: On again, off again as Australia takes it slow

September 10, 2005.

The dark clouds that seemed to permanently hang over The Oval had started to create a sense of foreboding for Australia, which must have been casting anxious glances as the clock as the days started to get away.

When play continued, the runs kept coming. Both Langer and Hayden made centuries on this third day, but the batsmen's keenness to take the bad light when offered meant only 45.4 overs were bowled.

Flintoff took the wicket of Ponting late in the day and bowled with real venom and pace, but a frustratingly stagnant day - not that the English were complaining - came to a close with Australia still 96 behind.

The Oval, day four: Freddy does it again, England puts one hand on the urn

September 11, 2005.

Australia's whole batting plan was based on batting just once, and building a big enough first innings lead for Warne to defend on the final day. As a result, the first session of day four was set to be one of the most important of the series.

It's by no means over. We're playing the best in the world and we've got the small person of Mr Warne to contend with who in the first innings was outstanding.

But just as he had in so many decisive moments before, Flintoff took the game by the scruff of the neck. He took four wickets in a spell of raw aggression before lunch, taking his innings tally to five, and leaving Australia all-but dead and buried still 17 runs behind.

If the pre-lunch rampage had set the game up, the post-lunch onslaught knocked it down. Within six overs, Australia would be bowled out - Hoggard the man doing most of the damage - and England held a six-run lead.

A potentially difficult final spell was shortened by the umpire's light metre again, but Australia - or Warne, more specifically - still had time to take the wicket of Strauss.

England just needed to bat the day, Australia needed nine wickets and a few runs quickly. It was surely England's Ashes.

The Oval, day five: Pietersen comes of age, England wins the Ashes

September 12, 2005.

The atmosphere was understandably tense on the final day at The Oval - every fan, coach and player had seen too many wild fluctuations during this series to assume any result was foregone conclusion.

England started well, but Australia threatened one last time. McGrath dismissed Vaughan and Bell in consecutive balls to really set the pulses racing, and when Warne caught Flintoff from his own bowling the score was 5 for 126.

But history correctly suggests this stage belonged to Kevin Pietersen, who took advantage of a number of dropped catches by the wasteful Australians to end the series as a contest with his own bat.

His first Test ton - a swashbuckling 158 - came from only 187 balls and in only a couple of sessions. Some players of Pietersen's youth and inexperience would have looked elsewhere for support given the occasion, but he took England's responsibility all on his own.

England were better than us; it is as simple as that. We had a great battle but we were never as good as England throughout the series.

Pietersen batted deep into the final session, every boundary provoking wilder and wilder celebrations from the crowd. Australia eventually bowled England out 335, and strode to the crease to bat for no reason other than formality.

Only four balls would be bowled. The light would interfere again, and umpires Bowden and Koertzen strode theatrically to either end of the wicket to remove the bails and stumps - the match was drawn, the Ashes were England's by two games to one.

If the other great games of this series had been celebrated with a sense of caution, knowing work was still to be done, these England celebrations were the release of almost two decades of tension. Complete relief for players past and present.

Pietersen was rewarded for his performance in this match, Flintoff and Warne for theirs in the overall series, but Vaughan got to lift the greatest prize. The greatest series of all time had ended, and the spoils belonged to England.

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Ashes 2005: The inside story of the greatest series

The 2005 Ashes series saw Kevin Pietersen and Simon Jones  help England conquer the greatest side of the era. Jon Hotten, co-author of The Test – Jones’ definitive account of the series – introduces the memories of their glorious summer. First published in 2015.

The Ashes of 2005. So far away, and yet so near… Much has happened since: that yearned-for win in Australia sandwiched between a couple of 0-5 drubbings, not to mention two other home victories, and yet 2005 retains its hold on the memory and the imagination.

The power of those 54 high-summer days remains, even though the players are slipping away now. Only Ian Bell of England and Michael Clarke of Australia are still in their respective Test teams; Kevin Pietersen, Marcus Trescothick, Geraint Jones, Shaun Tait and Paul Collingwood actively playing, but to watch the highlights of the series – still a perennial rain-delay favourite – is to be jerked back with an immediacy and intensity that defies passing time. The emotions it stirs are somehow still current.

Simon Jones and Kevin Pietersen were tyros then, 26 and 24 respectively, and their fates would diverge radically after that summer. Each would produce performances that tilted the series England’s way, and both provided an aggressive intensity that helped to shove the Australian winning machine off course. Pietersen would go on to play some of the great innings of the modern era during his lightning rod of a career. Jones would never play international cricket again. But from the moment Pietersen joined the Test match dressing room, forcing his way past the retiring Graham Thorpe with a knock of quite stunning quality in the ODI at Bristol, the pair struck up a friendship that endures.

It helped that they were the only two single lads in the side – Jones somewhat unfortunately so following a tabloid kiss-and-tell sting that landed on the Sunday of the first Test – and also that they had something to prove. Jones had laboured hard on the winter tour of South Africa to show that he could be relied on with the newer ball as well as the old; Pietersen fought the age-old English suspicion of any outsider with an unorthodox method.

They had strong allies in their skipper Michael Vaughan, who was evangelical in his desire for his men to play without fear of failure, and the wily coach Duncan Fletcher, who recognised their ability to change the course of a match with a single spell of brilliance. Jones even made several vital interventions with the bat, using a blade that Pietersen had given him.

Simon Jones and Kevin Pietersen emerged as two  premier match-winners during the series

Although Australia had been defeated heavily in the new-fangled T20 thing on a raucous night at the Rose Bowl and had lost consecutive ODIs to Bangladesh and England, normal service appeared to have resumed with their customary win in the first Test at Lord’s. Yet anyone watching on that opening morning of the series, when Langer and Ponting were struck on the elbow and head respectively and Jones summoned the wicket of Damien Martyn with his very first ball, saw the seeds of a new and indomitable England side. Pietersen’s dismissive hitting of McGrath and Warne added to the effect, and so the greatest series of all was launched…

Here, in the words of two of the prime combatants, is what happened next.

First Test – Lord’s, July 21-24

Australia win by 239 runs

What was the mood in the dressing room leading into that first Test?

Simon Jones: Full of excitement. We’d beaten everyone else in the world and Australia were No.1 and had a team of absolute legends, so they were the ones to beat. We were young, we were fearless, a lot of us were hitting our peak – it was a great time to catch the Aussies. We were like children on Christmas Eve. We’d had the one-day series beforehand and now we just wanted to get on with the real cricket.

Kevin, you were called up in place of Graham Thorpe to make your Test debut. What were your hopes and expectations going into the series?

Kevin Pietersen: I wanted to be accepted as a Test player in the dressing room. Putting me in the side was a brave selection and I wanted to reward that. Duncan Fletcher and Vaughany were just incredible. They were like, ‘Just go and bat and whack that ball as far as you can for as long as you can and everything will be sweet’. From a team perspective, there was a lot of belief because we had beaten Australia a few times in the one-day games and the brand of cricket we played stood us in good stead. We met fire with fire. That Aussie team had never had the opposition come at them like we did. They’d never had someone come in at Lord’s and whack McGrath over his head for six and put Shane Warne into the terraces a few times. I mean it just wasn’t very English.

Kevin Pietersen smashes one over the ropes off Glenn McGrath

Can you describe the atmosphere on that first morning at Lord’s?

SJ: Normally when you walk through the Long Room the members will you give a clap, maybe a pat on the back. When we entered the Long Room that day, I’ve never seen anything like it. It just erupted. All these guys who’d been so restrained in the past were jumping up and down. It made us realise just how important this series was going to be. When we went on to the pitch the hairs were standing up on the back of our necks. The crowd were geeing us up and I think it shocked the Aussies too. It was as if they were baying for blood.

KP: I never heard a cheer like that again in my 104 Test matches. It was unbelievable. The public felt we had an opportunity to beat them and we certainly felt it there.

Simon, your series couldn’t have started any better, taking the wicket of Damien Martyn with your first ball…

SJ: I was desperate to get that ball in my hand. I thought I’d try and hit my length hard and see what happens. There was a bit of pace in the wicket that day and luckily he chased a fourth- or fifth-stump ball, it flew into Geraint Jones’ hands and I didn’t know what to do with myself.

But McGrath did what he did best, England folded despite two fifties from Kevin, and it was a comfortable Australian win. What did Michael Vaughan say to you after the defeat?

SJ: Vaughany sat us down after the game and said, ‘Lads, this is gone, it doesn’t get spoken about again, we’re starting the series again at Edgbaston’. It was a great way of approaching it. Teams in the past would have rolled over and died but we were up for a fight and the Edgbaston Test was something else.

Australia took the first Test by a huge margin of 239 runs

Second Test – Edgbaston, August 4-7

England win by 2 runs

There was high drama on the first morning as McGrath twisted his ankle in the warm-up and then Ricky Ponting sprung a surprise by putting England in. What did you make of it all in the changing room?

SJ: I was blown away when Ricky decided to bowl first. I know there had been some weather around but we had a look at the wicket and it was a typical Edgbaston track: flat and pretty slow. And they’d just lost their best bowler. I don’t know if it was down to a bit of arrogance that they’d turned us over so easily at Lord’s but Marcus Trescothick and Andrew Strauss took the Aussies apart in the first couple of hours.

KP: McGrath’s injury definitely was a huge turning point. The team plan was to attack the Australians and it’s a lot easier to attack without McGrath in their side. We scored 400 in that first day and made our intentions clear. We clubbed the ball to all parts.

Simon, you were standing at mid-on for Flintoff’s famous over when he dismissed Langer and Ponting to really put England on top. What do you remember of it?

SJ: Freddie was just enjoying himself. He was telling me what he was going to do before each ball: ‘I’m going to do this, I’m going to do that, I’m going to hit this length hard’. And he did it to a tee, an absolute tee. And every time he got a wicket he was looking at me laughing, as if to say ‘I told you so’. He brought so much to that team.

Steve Harmison explains what was going through his mind shortly before he took a “staggering gamble” and bowled “one of the great balls.” https://t.co/lz2zV2xJdF — Wisden (@WisdenCricket) May 10, 2020

And of course it culminated in one of Test cricket’s great climaxes. How were you feeling as Lee and Kasprowicz chipped away at that target?

SJ: It was probably the toughest couple of hours of my life. The Aussies were so stubborn and I dropped a catch [at third-man with 15 runs required] that I’d back myself nine times out of 10 to take. I saw the ball coming, dived forward and then I lost it. I thought I’d literally dropped the Ashes, I really did. It just showed the ability we had to come back from any situation.

KP: I remember Brett Lee smashing a full toss when they needed just three runs and I thought, ‘We’re done here’. But Jonah fielded it and a couple of balls later we got the wicket. The guys were just so, so happy. It gave us so much belief.

“Jones…Bowden…Kasprowicz the man to go!” Never. Gets. Old. pic.twitter.com/clfEg1JJzM — Wisden (@WisdenCricket) May 10, 2020

Third Test – Old Trafford, August 11-15

Match drawn

Simon, Old Trafford was where you really made your mark on the series, taking a first-innings six-for and two memorable dismissals of Michael Clarke…

SJ: Harmy had taken a five-for at Lord’s and Freddie was exceptional at Edgbaston and I just wanted to get into the series. Old Trafford’s a place you enjoy bowling as a quick – it’s a fast deck and it’s abrasive so you can get it to reverse. I picked out Clarke as a young talent, a very dangerous player. I thought, ‘I’m going to have a crack at this boy’. I felt like every time I bowled at him, I could get him out.

You got him with that slower ball in the first innings…

SJ: Clarke looked settled so I said ‘Pel araf’ to Fred, which means slower ball in Welsh. He said, ‘I dunno what you’re talking about mate, just bowl it’. I told him to go a bit deeper. Duncan Fletcher had always said that when you bowl a slower ball, really hang it out there, so they’re reaching for it. And he was absolutely bang on. It was on probably a seventh-stump line, he’s mistimed the shot and Fred’s taken a great catch at mid-off. It was great to look up at the balcony and see Fletcher giving me a clap.

It took one of the great rearguard knocks to deny England the win. Just how good was Ricky Ponting’s innings?

KP: As a young batter, as much as I wanted him to get out, I just stood there and admired it. It was an unbelievable hundred. I’d watched Ricky Ponting as a young boy and I was thinking, ‘Wow, this is incredible. I’m just so lucky’. He kept his side in the game, but to watch that great Australian team celebrating a draw gave us a lot of confidence.

Lee and McGrath celebrate after holding on for a draw at Old Trafford

Fourth Test: Trent Bridge, August 25-28

England win by three wickets

Simon, it was during the Old Trafford Test that you really started to suffer with a bone spur in your ankle. How bad was it?

SJ: As a quick bowler you have a very high tolerance to pain, it’s your job. But that was hard. I’d had a couple of jabs to be on the field. I didn’t care about further down the line. I just wanted to play in that series. If I could’ve bowled all day without stopping, I’d have been fine. But when I bowled a spell, came off for a rest and then came back on, that’s when the ankle got really sore. It was a matter of trying to keep myself as mobile as I could to prevent the pain.

Australia were forced to follow on – with Simon fighting through the pain barrier to take a first-innings five-for before hobbling off in the second dig – and England were left needing 129 to win. How tense was the dressing room as you slipped to seven wickets down?

SJ: It was horrible. I had an Aircast on and I’d had to ask someone to drive me to the ground that morning because I couldn’t put any pressure through the accelerator. I had a chat to Steve Harmison and said, ‘Mate, you’ve got to go No.10 but I’m coming out with you if you go because there’s no way I’ll get down the stairs quick enough’. The Aussies would’ve timed me out. I was in a bit of a predicament so to see Ashley Giles’ little stroke through mid-wicket was the biggest relief I’ve ever felt.

KP :When I was batting and in control, it didn’t seem like a big target. But then I nicked Brett Lee and Freddie got knocked over by Binga when I was unpadding. The boys were real, real nervous. I was wearing a wristband and I think I chewed right through it. To see Hoggy and Gilo take us over the line was incredible. It was a special, special Test match and you could see how much it meant to the fans.

Fifth Test: The Oval, September 8-12

Simon, your injury forced you to miss the final Test. Was there ever a chance that you’d be fit to play?

SJ: I kind of knew I was done after Trent Bridge but I wanted to do whatever I could to play. Kirk Russell was physio at the time and it was almost as if we were Siamese twins for a while because we were with each other all the time. We tried everything. I did three or four oxygen chamber sessions at Wellington Hospital in London and I sat in there for four hours at a time with terminally ill people which was a bit of a wake-up call really because I’m trying to get fit for a cricket match and these guys are fighting for their lives. We even tried a faith healer. It was tough when I had to tell Fletch and Vaughany I couldn’t play but it was the best decision for the team.

KP: Simon was a huge loss. Not just as a bowler, he was my real good buddy. On an emotional level, it was something I didn’t particularly enjoy because I wanted him to be the centre of attention for that Test match because he had got us into such a great position in that series. He deserved the opportunity to finish it off.

Talk us through your series-clinching innings on that final day. Was your attack on Brett Lee – when you blitzed him for 35 runs off 13 balls after lunch – premeditated?

KP: I remember waking up on the final day and at breakfast reading ‘England need one hero today’ in the paper. I just thought to myself, ‘Jeez, how amazing would that be if that was me’. Nothing in my innings was premeditated – it was all instinct. People say you’ve got to practise that and do this… I can tell you something right now, that’s a load of nonsense. When someone’s bowling 95mph, it’s all instinct. And it could all have gone wrong. I was just lucky enough to take Brett Lee on and a couple of top edges went into the stand. I’ve had a couple of instances in my career when the pull shot has gone wrong, I’ve been caught at square-leg or fine-leg and been hammered. It went in my favour that day, and I’m not going to stand here and say it was premeditated. Nonsense. Instinct won it for me that day.

Simon, you were with the team in the changing room for days three, four and five. What was it like watching Kevin’s innings unfold?

SJ: I’ve never wanted someone to succeed more than I did Kev that day. He’d shown glimpses of what he could do and taken it to the Aussies but here he took the game by the scruff of the neck. Brett Lee was bowling 95mph and he was just hooking him into the stands. It was brilliant to see the genuine delight at what he’d achieved against the best team that’s ever played the game. A ridiculous innings.

The aftermath

The post-match celebrations have gone down in Ashes folklore. Were you all as badly behaved as we’re led to believe?

KP: Obviously we had a bit to drink, but we weren’t as boisterous or as silly as the journalists liked to write up! I mean, that pissing in the garden in Downing Street… I only heard about that afterwards, I never saw it. I don’t know if it happened. Great story, though.

SJ: That trip to Downing Street was probably one of the worst ideas the ECB have ever had! Twelve drunk cricketers who weren’t going to go to bed going down to 10 Downing Street the day after? It just didn’t make sense, but we weren’t going to let it ruin our night – we’d worked hard for that. It was just a great feeling that we were being appreciated, though. The amount of people that turned up that day, it blew us away. There were 30 or 40,000 people at Trafalgar Square. It was like a dream.

First published in 2015.

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How the 2005 Ashes was won

The 2005 Ashes was a titanic contest which ended Australia's 16-year hold on the urn. Here, the two captains, Ricky Ponting and Michael Vaughan, and other stars including Glenn McGrath, Matthew Hoggard, Jason Gillespie and Simon Jones relive the drama, the nerves and the joy of an epic series.

Lord's: a familiar story

Glenn McGrath takes nine wickets and Shane Warne six as Australia win big despite being rolled over for 190 in the first innings. England fans probably think, "Oh no, not again."

Edgbaston: the series catches fire

McGrath twists his ankle, Ponting sends England in on a flat pitch, England amass more than 400 on the first day, Warne spins them out cheaply in the second innings, Steve Harmison's slower ball gets Michael Clarke, the game seems over, Brett Lee and Michael Kasprowicz don't think so, Kasprowicz gloves it behind when three runs short, Flintoff consoles Lee.

Old Trafford: An epic draw

Vaughan and Trescothick help England rack up a big score, and Australia are left chasing the game. Warne steps up with the bat in the first innings, before Ponting plays one of the finest innings of his career to keep Australia alive. England are denied victory this time as Australia's last pair survive some high-tension overs.

Trent Bridge: England scrape ahead

Once again, England put up a tall score in the first innings, before Simon Jones swings Australia out quickly. Gary Pratt runs out Ponting in possibly the most famous intervention by a substitute fielder in Ashes history, and England are left with a straightforward target. Warne, however, thinks 128 is plenty to defend and makes England huff and puff. They eventually get over the line with three wickets in hand.

The Oval: KP delivers the Ashes

It is Kevin Pietersen's debut series, and with the Ashes on the line, he delivers an innings for the ages. Warne, having been outstanding with bat and ball through the summer, drops a catch with Pietersen on 15 - a catch that might well have changed the series' final scoreline.

Ashes 2005 team: what happened to the England squad that beat Australia 2-1 in the greatest of all Test series?

From andrew flintoff to kevin pietersen, here's what came next for england's heroes after they won a test series that gripped the nation.

The 2005 Ashes is commonly regarded as the greatest Test series of all time, with England fighting back to secure a 2-1 victory against Australia over a truly gripping summer.

Their performances made household names of the likes of Andrew “Freddie” Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen, and the squad’s boozy celebrations across London were splashed across front pages – here’s what happened to them all next.

Marcus Trescothick (431 runs at 43.10)

One of England’s unsung heroes during the series, Trescothick represented England until the following summer before his international career was cut short by mental illness.

His candid autobiography  Coming Back To Me detailing his experiences with anxiety and depression won the William Hill Sports Book of the Year award in 2008.

For the past 13 years he has continued to represent his county, Somerset, but announced that this would be his last season before retiring aged 43.

Andrew Strauss (393 runs at 39.30)

After starring with Trescothick, Strauss went on to form an even more successful opening partnership with Alastair Cook, and became one of England’s most successful captains in 2009.

He oversaw the team’s rise to number one in the Test rankings under Andy Flower, before retiring in 2012 after exactly 100 Test matches following the Kevin Pietersen text-gate controversy.

Strauss became the director of England cricket in 2015, and was instrumental in the side’s ascendancy in One Day cricket.

He stepped down in October last year to spend more time with his wife, Ruth, who was undergoing cancer treatment – she died on 29 December, aged 46.

A special charity event will be held on the second day of the Lord’s Test this summer for the Ruth Strauss Foundation, which was set up in her name.

Ian Bell (171 runs at 17.10)

Bell, the youngest player on either side in the series, struggled throughout the summer, and was famously given the mocking nickname “The Sherminator” by Shane Warne.

However, he went on to become one of England’s most stylish and admired Test batsmen of the era, amassing almost 8,000 runs across 118 matches.

Now 37, he still plays for Warwickshire, the county he has represented for 20 years, although a knee injury has ruled him out of the rest of this campaign.

Michael Vaughan (326 runs at 32.60)

Vaughan, England’s greatest captain of the modern era, struggled with injuries in the years after the series, and resigned the captaincy in an emotional press conference after his final Test in 2008.

Following his retirement in 2009 he moved straight to the Test Match Special press box, where he has remained ever since.

He also has a long-standing newspaper column with the  Daily Telegraph  and a Radio 5 Live show with Phil Tufnell, and lasted nine weeks on  Strictly Come Dancing  in 2012.

Kevin Pietersen (473 runs at 52.55)

Few players have made such an impact in their debut series as Pietersen, and he went on to establish himself as one of England’s most gifted cricketers of all time – however, he is just as widely known for the controversies that blighted his international career.

A tumultuous spell as captain ended with him sacked after falling out with the coach Peter Moores, while text messages exchanged with his friends in the touring South Africa side in 2012 led to him being dropped from the side.

He was unceremoniously dumped from the side after his relationship with Andrew Flower deteriorated, and laid bare his resentments with a controversial autobiography a year later.

Pietersen carried on playing T20 cricket until 2018 – an outspoken animal activist, he recently released a 10-part BBC podcast on rhino poaching titled Beast of Man.

Andrew Flintoff (402 runs at 40.20, 24 wickets at 27.29)

No England player since Ian Botham had dominated an Ashes series like “Freddie”, with his performances earning him the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award – but England’s inspirational all-rounder never quite scaled the same heights.

His cricketing career was ended (bar a brief T20 comeback) in 2009 by persistent injuries, but his eclectic post-cricket career means he has rarely left the public eye.

Flintoff had already fought as a professional boxer, presented multiple TV series from a fish and chip van, fronted a BBC documentary on depression in sport, been a long-standing team captain on A League of Their Own , won the Australian  I’m A Celebrity and hosted an award-winning podcast before becoming a  Top Gear  host for the latest series.

Geraint Jones (229 runs at 25.44)

Jones, who took one of the most memorable catches of all time at the 2005 Edgbaston Test, remained England wicket-keeper until the 2006/7 Ashes series.

He later represented his native Papua New Guinea in ODI cricket, before concluding his cricket career with Gloucestershire in 2015, before becoming a cricket professional at Brentwood School in Essex.

Ashley Giles (155 runs at 19.37, 10 wickets at 57.80)

A steady, consistent presence in the 2005 side, Giles ended his England career in the 2006/7 Ashes winter when he returned home to care for his wife, who had been diagnosed with a brain tumour.

After a hip problem forced his retirement the following summer, he became director of cricket for Warwickshire, where he had spent his whole playing career, and eventually became England’s ODI coach.

Giles went on to spend time as head coach of Lancashire and had another spell at his home county, before replacing Strauss as England director of cricket in December last year.

Simon Jones (18 wickets at 21.00)

Jones should have been one of the series’ breakout stars, but tragically never played for England again after limping out of the fourth Test at Nottingham.

Ninth place in  New Woman’s  Sexiest Man of the Year award in 2006, he played county cricket until 2013 – in retirement runs a cricket coaching school and performs motivational speaking engagements.

Matthew Hoggard (16 wickets at 29.56)

Underrated throughout his England career, Hoggard took 248 Test wickets before being unceremoniously dropped in 2008, playing a further 5 years of county cricket.

Known for being one of the game’s more eccentric characters, he is a popular after-dinner speaker as well as undertaking various coaching and media commitments.

Steve Harmison (17 wickets at 32.29)

One of the defining moments of the series was Harmison drawing Ricky Ponting’s blood with a bouncer on the first morning, and the paceman retained his mercurial ability to change games until his final Test in 2009.

He retired from all cricket four years later, and has appeared as a broadcaster with the likes of Sky Sports and Talksport. The 40-year-old also spent two-and-a-half years as manager of non-league football club Ashington between 2015 and 2017.

Paul Collingwood (17 runs at 8.50)

Collingwood only played the final Test in 2005, but hung around for a crucial hour at the Oval in such typically gutsy fashion that nobody objected when he was made an MBE with the rest of the Ashes squad.

An excellent one-day player, he went on to carve out a thoroughly respectable Test career and continued to play for his county Durham (while also holding various coaching roles) until last year, when he retired at the age of 42.

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Australia name Ashes squad

Australia have named three uncapped players in their 16-strong squad for this summer's Ashes series.

Alongside newly-signed Lancashire batsman Brad Hodge, who now seems certain to miss large parts of the domestic campaign, emerging fast bowler Shaun Tait and reserve wicketkeeper Brad Haddin both earned call-ups.

Hodge's selection came at the expense of Darren Lehmann, whose omission almost certainly brings an end to his 27-match Test career and leaves him open to become Yorkshire's full-time overseas player this summer.

Tait is aged only 22 but forced his way into the selectors' reckoning with 65 wickets in Australia's domestic Pura Cup competition.

"We've identified Shaun as a rising talent and this is a selection with a view to the future," explained chairman of selectors Trevor Hohns. "He's a quality, young quick bowler who has impressed us all with his raw pace.

"It's a great opportunity for him to learn from the experienced group of fast bowlers we have in this squad."

The remainder of the two squads are littered with familiar names including captain Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer and the more experienced members of the squad like Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath.

Both Warne and McGrath, who needs only one wicket in the opening Test to become only the fourth bowler in history to reach 500 Test victims, are almost certainly making their final Ashes tours.

Hodge has not been considered for Australia's 15-strong one-day squad also announced today and with the first Test at Lord's not starting until July 21, Lancashire hope he can have a big impact in the first half of the summer.

Australia's tour begins with the first ever Twenty20 international in this country against England at the Rose Bowl on June 13 and they face the NatWest Triangular tournament and a three-match one-day Ashes series before entering the eagerly-awaited Test series.

Ashes squad: Ricky Ponting (captain), Adam Gilchrist (vice-captain), Michael Clarke, Jason Gillespie, Brad Haddin, Matthew Hayden, Brad Hodge, Justin Langer, Michael Kasprowicz, Simon Katich, Brett Lee, Stuart MacGill, Damien Martyn, Glenn McGrath, Shaun Tait, Shane Warne.

One-day squad: Ricky Ponting (captain), Adam Gilchrist (vice-captain), Michael Clarke, Jason Gillespie, Brad Haddin, Matthew Hayden, Brad Hogg, Michael Hussey, Michael Kasprowicz, Simon Katich, Brett Lee, Damien Martyn, Glenn McGrath, Andrew Symonds, Shane Watson.

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