Janus’ Journal #6- By Hugh Wilkins
The Ashes. Australia. England. It is undoubtedly one of sports fiercest rivalries. A battle that creates furore, drama, anger, spite, but most important of all, entertainment.
It arguably creates the greatest spectacle within the cricketing sphere. I understand that India and Pakistan fans will probably disagree with me, but those matches often descend into utter chaos, and become more than just a cricket match. The Ashes however showcases all the greatest elements of test cricket. Test cricket is the greatest format; five days, infinite possibility, and the Ashes always offers the opportunity to revive its prominence back into public consciousness.
Regardless of form, nothing is predictable and anything can happen, which creates a canvas that spurs on any Australian and English cricketer to mythologise themselves into the annals of cricketing folklore.
Join me over the summer of cricket, as in celebration of the upcoming 25/26 Ashes series, I will be covering some of the most iconic Ashes moments, beginning with the 2005 Edgbaston test match.
Edgbaston, The Ashes (2005), Second Test Match:
For any cricket fan, the 2005 Ashes series, fought in England, elicits the purity of test cricket. It had everything. Heroic performances with the bat and ball, dogged fight in the midst of batting collapses, and scintillating partnerships. Most of all, each game was an agonising display of grit, with incredibly tight finishes. This series highlights the momentum of sport, and the captivating battle that comes with a team trying to dig in and fight in the midst of relentless bombardment.
Arguably the most iconic test match of this series was the second one, held at Edgbaston. Australia were 1-0 in the series after Glenn McGrath’s nine wicket haul and man of the match performance gave Michael Clarke the canvas to steer Australia to a 239 run victory at Lord’s.
But McGrath was injured hours before the Edgbaston test in a pre-game warmup. All of a sudden, after a thumping defeat, the pendulum slowly ticked into England’s favour. Now, England did not need to face McGrath’s thunderous new ball deliveries, and the omen that the team that won the toss should bowl first was immediately inversed. Where McGrath had enforced an immense batting collapse in England’s first innings at Lords (with the first 16 overs resulting in a scoresheet of 5-21); English openers Marcus Trescothick and Andrew Strauss made a clear statement, using the rapid Edgbaston outfield to allow their powerful cover drives to sail away for boundaries (and punishing the incumbent new ball bowlers). Their power hitting created an incredibly different scorecard to the first test match, rapidly rising to a hundred partnership for no loss. After being punished around the ground, Australia brought on Warne to bowl in the 25th over. Even though Warne had been hit for six early by Strauss, his mastery of turning the ball sent a ball placed on the leg side careening into off-stump. Trescothick still sailed, but a tentative tickle at McGrath’s replacement Michael Kasprowicz was caught behind by wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist, and after the soaring speed of the English openers, the time to strike for Australia was now.
Australia took wickets in quick succession, dismissing a rash Michael Vaughan, which brought all-rounder Andrew (Freddie) Flintoff to the crease. Sensing blood, Australia’s Brett Lee directed Flintoff with vigorous bouncers, trying to inhibit Flintoff’s dangerously fast scoring as the sixth batsman, but Flintoff’s reactive and defensive pulling of Brett Lee for six was indicative of his stabilising half century. Combining with England’s Kevin Pietersen, the pair were able to hold the line, and dish it out in a controlling and intense manner. Flintoff finished the first innings with 68 off 62 balls, Pietersen with 71 off 76.
After bowling England all out for 407; Australia sent openers Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer out in hopes that they could set the tone. Hayden, the flamboyant cowboy. Langer, the gritty warrior. Unfortunately for Australia, Hayden’s showmanship saw him come down the ground first ball to be dismissed for a golden duck. Ponting thus had to come in, and play with the flash which worked incredibly for England in their first batting innings, as well as to enable Langer’s dogged methodism to anchor the innings. The partnership between Ponting and Langer defined Australia’s first batting innings. Ponting dictated the speed of his game with his trademark pull-shots and cover driving at will, making a vital 62 off 76; accelerating Australia’s total to account for Hayden’s ephemeral departure. Langer meanwhile fought with his trademark boxers mentality; never flashy, always gritty, and his body-on-the-line mindset was pivotal to attempt to stabilise Australia. After Langer was trapped by the fast and full pace of English paceman Simon Jones, his departure for a determined 82 off 154 resulted in a lower order batting collapse and Australia were bowled out for 308.
With a 99 run lead to begin their second innings; England had a favourable platform to push their total into difficult waters for Australia to chase. They just had to play with the lively freedom of the first innings. But that is not how sport works. Whilst it appeared that England’s Marcus Trescothick’s vitriolic dispatching of Brett Lee’s first delivery through extra cover for 4 runs would be indicative of the English mentality, England would instead face a bowling onslaught. The inimitable Shane Warne fooled Andrew Strauss yet again in the sixth over, and Marcus Trescothick tickled a wider delivery from Brett Lee straight to Australia’s wicketkeeper in Adam Gilchrist in the 11th over. Where Strauss and Trescothick had been an opening thorn in the Australian’s side, surging to a hundred partnership, they had suddenly been dismissed in quick succession for only 27 runs combined.
English captain Michael Vaughan fell a similar victim, and was also dismissed in the 11th over, clean-bowled by the pace of Brett Lee. Where Lee had been dispatched in the early stages of England’s first innings, he was slowly and dangerously asserting himself in England’s second innings. This amounted to his dismissal of English nightwatchman Matthew Hoggard, as Lee instituted a mini-batting collapse at the end of the day’s play.
What then followed was the Shane Warne show. Taking his good mate Kevin Pietersen again after clipping his pad for a tough Adam Gilchrist catch was quickly followed two overs later as Ian Bell was similarly caught by Gilchrist off a Warne delivery. Warne got revenge on fellow spinner Ashley Giles (who got him out in the first innings), and hit Steve Harmison with a full delivery flicked to Ponting in the slips.
However, Freddie Flintoff remained, dictating the innings with ascendant scoring despite the growing casualties. Last man Simon Jones was able to keep Flintoff on strike and a licence to smash sixes around the ground. Warne ultimately got him, but Flintoff’s 73 off 86 meant England were all out for 182, rather than 131.
Australia were chasing 282 to win. The opening partnership between Langer and Hayden started well in the first 10 overs. Langer working to pull quick bouncers on the back foot, and Hayden characteristically coming down the wicket for big cover drives. But just when it was looking like Australia had the momentum in their corner, England sent on their talismanic Prestonite, Freddie Flintoff. His wicked pace outfoxed Langer, rising through the gate and crashing onto his stumps in the second ball of 12th over. But that was not all for the 12th over, as what followed was an over of bowling deliveries of assassin-like intensity, as Flintoff sought to bully and lethally dispose of the new man at the crease, Ricky Ponting. Flintoff, relentlessly hunting, goaded Ponting into playing tempting shots before tightening him up in a bid to encourage him to play. He sought to bully Ponting, and he did, toying with his pride. Attempting to get off the mark and fight back at Flintoff, Ponting threw his bat at a ball that pitched up, but swung away, catching an outside edge going straight to English wicketkeeper Graham Jones, exiting for no runs after facing a venomous five ball spell that set the tone for England’s mid session dominance, as they sought to wrap up the second test match and to level the series at 1-1.
Matthew Hayden, Damien Martyn and Simon Katich all departed quickly within five overs of each other. Adam Gilchrist, Australia’s wicketkeeper batsman who could pile on runs with reckless abandon, was out cheaply without as much as whimper within 4 balls. The English could taste the Australian blood after ripping through their batting lineup. The momentum, and the game, was now in the English’s hands.
But, as is emblematic of this specific match, when the times got tough, it took grit and fight to get the game back on level terms. Playing for Australia elicits a historical pride, particularly through the reflection between sport and the ANZACs. Where the ANZACs, whose sacrifice, bravery and mateship developed Australia’s national identity; playing for Australia honours the sacrifice and furthers that national pride evoked by these qualities. Like the ANZACs, sometimes you just need to dig in, grit your teeth, and fight through the overwhelming punishment in a process of eternal endurance. That is exactly what defined the remaining 20 overs of this game, as Brett Lee and Shane Warne, the bowlers who had torn through England in their second innings, suddenly found themselves holding the line in the trenches of that Edgbaston wicket; amidst the torrent of baneful deliveries to fight for their lives. Lee and Warne had both been a part of the Australian team that travelled to Gallipoli before the 2001 Ashes series, led by captain Steve Waugh, who sought to elicit a profound appreciation for the ANZAC sacrifice, and an understanding of what it means to represent your country. They channelled this profundity into their unyielding mentality, and although the English threw the kitchen sink at the two, still they remained, determined. Wearing the punishment of the cricket ball with the courage and grit becoming of the ANZACs.
Fortunes seemed to shift in the English favour when the lionhearted Warne was pushed backwards by a Flintoff delivery which caused him to trollop on his own stumps. But, last man and last minute replacement, Michael Kaspowicz was tenacious with Brett Lee to maintain the Australian fight, playing big shots to further pressurise the English attack. It seemed to work, with their gumption keeping momentum in Australia’s hands: A Kaspowicz shot to third man is almost caught by Simon Jones. An inside edge from Brett Lee is inches away from the stumps and beats the keeper for 4 runs. A Flintoff no ball is flicked on for 4 by Lee. The fortitude of Lee and Kaspowicz lead to Australia only needing 4 runs to win. Lee was able to strike the ball through cover and it appeared to sail to the boundary, but was fielded for a single, placing Kaspowicz on strike, and Australia needing 3 runs to win. Ultimately, Kaspowicz was caught by surprise by the Harmison delivery, suddenly rising on him in defence as Geraint Jones took an impressive diving catch to give England a 2 run victory over Australia. A dramatic finish to an all-time classic test match.
In what was an epic test match, one of immense courage, fight and class, it will always be indemnified by one image. That of Freddie Flintoff; who was awarded man of the match for his contributions with bat (68 & 72) and ball (3 & 4), humble in victory by consoling the valiant Brett Lee in a sign of incredible sportsmanship that truly highlights this game in the annals of the spirit of cricket.
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