2005 Ashes series
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/* First Test: England v Australia (21–24 July) */
{{Infobox cricket series
|series= 2005 Ashes Series
|partof= the [[Australian cricket team in England in 2005]]
|image= [[Image:England Cricket Celebrations.jpg|300px]]
|caption= A ticker-tape reception for the victorious England players
|date= [[July 21]], [[2005]] – [[September 12]], [[2005]]
|place= [[England]]
|result= England won the 5-Test series 2-1
|team1= [[Image:Flag of England.svg|22px]] [[English cricket team|England]]
|team2= [[Image:Flag of Australia.svg|22px]] [[Australian cricket team|Australia]]
|captain1= [[Michael Vaughan]]
|captain2= [[Ricky Ponting]]
|runs1= [[Kevin Pietersen]] (473)<br/>[[Marcus Trescothick]] (431)<br/>[[Andrew Flintoff]] (402)
|runs2= [[Justin Langer]] (394)<br/>[[Ricky Ponting]] (359)<br/>[[Michael Clarke (cricketer)|Michael Clarke]] (335)
|wickets1= [[Andrew Flintoff]] (24)<br/>[[Simon Jones (cricketer)|Simon Jones]] (18)<br/>[[Steve Harmison]] (17)
|wickets2= [[Shane Warne]] (40)<br/>[[Brett Lee]] (20)<br/>[[Glenn McGrath]] (19)
}}
[[Image:Ashes Urn.jpg|right|thumb|The Ashes urn]]
{{dablink|This page is about the men's [[The Ashes|Ashes]] cricket contest. There is a separate article covering the [[Australian women's cricket team in England in 2005|England and Australian women's cricket series in England in 2005]].}}
The '''2005 Ashes series''' was that year's edition of the long-standing and storied [[cricket]] rivalry between [[English cricket team|England]] and [[Australian cricket team|Australia]]. Starting on [[21 July]] [[2005]], England and Australia played five [[Test cricket|Tests]], with [[the Ashes]] held by Australia as the most recent victors. The final result was a 2–1 series win for England, who succeeded (for the first time since 1987) in their biennial attempt to win the urn.
In March, Australia's captain, [[Ricky Ponting]], said that this Ashes series would be the closest since Australia's dominance began in 1989.<ref>{{cite news |url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/cricket/4393065.stm |title = Ponting wary of improved England |publisher = BBC Sport |date = [[2005-03-30]] |accessdate = 2005-12-31}}</ref> Since 1989, when Australia started their winning Ashes streak,<ref name=McGrath>{{cite news |url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/cricket/england/3637102.stm |title = Ashes warning from McGrath |publisher = BBC Sport |date = [[2004-09-08]] |accessdate = 2005-12-31}}</ref> England had only come within one match of the title once, in 1997: [[Australian cricket team|Australia]] were the pre-eminent side in the world, whilst [[English cricket team|England]] had dropped from being the top-rated in 1981 to sixth for much of the Nineties. They reached a low point in 1999 with a series loss to [[New Zealand cricket team|New Zealand]] leaving them bottom of the unofficial ''[[Wisden Cricketers' Almanack]]'' rankings.<ref>{{cite book | last = Engel | first = Matthew | title =Wisden Cricketers' Almanack 2000 | publisher =Wisden | date =2000 | id = ISBN 0-947766-58-8}}</ref> However, since the previous series in 2002–03, England had improved on their fifth place in the official rankings,<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.icc-cricket.com/icc/test/archive/2003.html |title = ICC Test Championship Tables |publisher = [[International Cricket Council]] |accessdate = 2005-12-31}}</ref> and were second before this series. Australia were still top-ranked, but England had won 14 and drawn 3 of their 18 previous Test matches since March 2004, and had won six successive series. Nonetheless, before the First Test some Australians, including fast bowler [[Glenn McGrath]],<ref name=McGrath/> were suggesting that a 5–0 win in the series for Australia was a serious possibility.
The [[BBC]] reported on the day after the series that it was "hailed as the most thrilling series ever".<ref>{{cite news |url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/cricket/england/4239806.stm |title = Ashes media watch |publisher = BBC Sport |date = [[2005-09-13]] |accessdate = 2005-12-31}}</ref> Allowing for some hyperbole, it was certainly one of the most nailbiting series in cricket in the modern era. Individual matches were very closely fought, with one match decided by a two-run margin, one match drawn with only one wicket remaining, and one match won by three wickets. The outcome of the contest was not decided until the very last day of the series.
As mentioned, [[English cricket team|England]] won the series 2–1, with the other two Tests drawn. [[Australian cricket team|Australia]] won the first Test comfortably, but the Second Test saw [[English cricket team|England]] level the series with a two run victory, the narrowest win in Ashes history.<ref>{{cite news |url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/cricket/england/4128908.stm |title = England clinch thrilling victory |publisher = BBC Sport |date = [[2005-08-07]] |accessdate = 2005-12-31}}</ref> The third Test ended in a draw (with England one wicket away from a win), and England won the fourth Test in [[Nottingham]] (Trent Bridge) by three wickets, losing seven men in a chase of 129, after England enforced the [[follow on]] after gaining a lead of 259 on first [[innings#Cricket|innings]].
The fifth and final Test started on [[8 September]] at [[the Oval]] in [[London]]. It entered its final day with England batting in their second innings, 40 runs ahead with nine wickets in hand. Australia needed a win to force a 2–2 series draw and retain the Ashes; any other result would give the Ashes to England and end 16 years and eight series of Australian dominance. After a day of fluctuating fortunes, England established a lead of 341 after [[Kevin Pietersen]]'s maiden century, and Australia batted for one over before the teams went off for bad light, [[Rudi Koertzen]] pulled the stumps out of the ground, and the match was declared a draw to ensure the return of the Ashes to England.
===Squads===
{| width=60%
|-
! width=30% | England<ref>{{cite web |url = http://aus.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005/AUS_IN_ENG/AUS_IN_ENG_JUN-SEP2005_ENG-SQUAD.html |title = Australia in England - England Squad |publisher = Cricinfo |accessdate = 2006-01-01}}</ref>
! width=30% | Australia
|- valign="top"
||
*[[Michael Vaughan]] ([[captain (cricket)|c]]) ([[Yorkshire County Cricket Club|Yorkshire]])
*[[Geraint Jones]] ([[wicket-keeper|wk]]) ([[Kent County Cricket Club|Kent]])
*[[James Anderson (cricketer)|James Anderson]]<sup>b</sup> ([[Lancashire County Cricket Club|Lancashire]])
*[[Ian Bell (cricketer)|Ian Bell]] ([[Warwickshire County Cricket Club|Warwickshire]])
*[[Paul Collingwood]]<sup>a, b</sup> ([[Durham County Cricket Club|Durham]])
*[[Andrew Flintoff]] ([[Lancashire County Cricket Club|Lancashire]])
*[[Ashley Giles]] ([[Warwickshire County Cricket Club|Warwickshire]])
*[[Steve Harmison]] ([[Durham County Cricket Club|Durham]])
*[[Matthew Hoggard]] ([[Yorkshire County Cricket Club|Yorkshire]])
*[[Simon Jones (cricketer)|Simon Jones]] ([[Glamorgan County Cricket Club|Glamorgan]])
*[[Kevin Pietersen]] ([[Hampshire County Cricket Club|Hampshire]])
*[[Andrew Strauss]] ([[Middlesex County Cricket Club|Middlesex]])
*[[Chris Tremlett]]<sup>b</sup> ([[Hampshire County Cricket Club|Hampshire]])
*[[Marcus Trescothick]] ([[Somerset County Cricket Club|Somerset]])
||
*[[Ricky Ponting]] ([[captain (cricket)|c]]) ([[Tasmanian Tigers|Tasmania]])
*[[Adam Gilchrist]] ([[wicket-keeper|wk]]) ([[Western Warriors|Western Australia]])
*[[Stuart Clark]]<sup>c</sup> ([[New South Wales Blues|New South Wales]])
*[[Michael Clarke (cricketer)|Michael Clarke]] ([[New South Wales Blues|New South Wales]])
*[[Jason Gillespie]] ([[Southern Redbacks|South Australia]])
*[[Bradley Haddin]] ([[Victorian Bushrangers|Victoria]])
*[[Matthew Hayden]] ([[Queensland Bulls|Queensland]])
*[[Brad Hodge]] ([[Victorian Bushrangers|Victoria]])
*[[Justin Langer]] ([[Western Warriors|Western Australia]])
*[[Michael Kasprowicz]] ([[Queensland Bulls|Queensland]])
*[[Simon Katich]] ([[New South Wales Blues|New South Wales]])
*[[Brett Lee]] ([[New South Wales Blues|New South Wales]])
*[[Stuart MacGill]] ([[New South Wales Blues|New South Wales]])
*[[Damien Martyn]] ([[Western Warriors|Western Australia]])
*[[Glenn McGrath]] ([[New South Wales Blues|New South Wales]])
*[[Shaun Tait]] ([[Southern Redbacks|South Australia]])
*[[Shane Warne]] ([[Victorian Bushrangers|Victoria]])
|}
a) Collingwood was added on [[1 August]] for the second Test, but sent back to his county [[Durham County Cricket Club|Durham]] on [[3 August]]<ref>{{cite news |url = http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/engvaus/content/story/214868.html |title = Collingwood added to England squad |publisher = Cricinfo |date = [[2005-08-01]] |accessdate = 2006-01-01}}</ref>.
b) An injury to Simon Jones saw Anderson come into the squad for the fifth Test, while Tremlett was dropped because he was "not on top of his game" according to England's chairman of selectors [[David Graveney]]. Collingwood was also called up again.<ref>{{cite news |url = http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/engvaus/content/story/218069.html |title = Collingwood and Anderson called up for England |publisher = Cricinfo |date = [[2005-09-04]] |accessdate = 2006-01-01}}</ref>
c) Clark was called up as cover for pace bowlers McGrath and Lee before the third Test.<ref>{{cite news |url = http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/engvaus/content/story/215479.html |title = Stuart Clark called up as cover |publisher = Cricinfo |date = [[2005-08-09]] |accessdate = 2006-01-01}}</ref>
===Match details===
====First Test: England v Australia (21–24 July)====
{| width="100%" style="background: #EBF5FF"
|-
| width="15%" valign="top" rowspan="2" | [[Image:Flag of Australia.svg|20px]] '''[[Australian cricket team|Australia]]'''
| width="18%" | '''190'''
| width="12%" | &
| width="20%" | '''384'''
| width="35%" | '''{{cr|AUS}} won by 239 runs'''<ref name=scorecardTest1>{{cite web |url = http://usa.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005/AUS_IN_ENG/SCORECARDS/AUS_ENG_T1_21-25JUL2005.html |title = 1st Test: England v Australia at Lord's, 21-25 Jul 2005 |publisher = Cricinfo |date = [[2005-07-24]] |accessdate = 2005-12-31}}</ref>
|-
| style="font-size: 85%;" valign="top" |
[[Justin Langer|JL Langer]] 40<br>
[[Steve Harmison|SJ Harmison]] 5/43
|
| style="font-size: 85%;" |
[[Andrew Strauss|MJ Clarke]] 91<br>
[[Steve Harmison|SJ Harmison]] 3/54
| valign="top" style="font-size: 85%;" rowspan="3" |
[[Lord's Cricket Ground|Lord's]], [[London]], [[England]]<br>
Umpires: [[Aleem Dar]] ([[Pakistan|Pak]]) and [[Rudi Koertzen|RE Koertzen]] ([[South Africa|SA]])<br>
Man of the Match: [[Glenn McGrath|GD McGrath]] ([[Australia|Aus]])<br>
|-
| valign="top" rowspan="2" | [[Image:Flag of England.svg|20px]] '''[[English cricket team|England]]'''
| '''155'''
|| &
|| '''180'''
|-
| style="font-size: 85%;" |
[[Kevin Pietersen|KP Pietersen]] 57<br>
[[Glenn McGrath|GD McGrath]] 5/53
|
| valign="top" style="font-size: 85%;" |
[[Kevin Pietersen|KP Pietersen]] 64*<br>
[[Glenn McGrath|GD McGrath]] 4/29<br>
[[Shane Warne|SK Warne]] 4/64
|}
[[Image:2005 Ashes, 1st Test, Australian run-rate, 1st innings.gif|right|200px|thumb|Australian run rate from the first innings.]][[Image:2005 Ashes, 1st Test, England run-rate, 1st innings.gif|right|200px|thumb|English run rate from the first innings.]]
'''Day One'''
The first day of cricket at [[Lord's Cricket Ground|Lord's]] saw 17 of the total of 40 wickets fall, and though [[Australian cricket team|Australia]] lost ten of them, the BBC saw it as "advantage Australia".<ref name=BBCDay1>{{cite news |url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/cricket/england/4700181.stm |title = McGrath inspires Aussie fightback |publisher = BBC Sport |date = [[2005-07-21]] |date = 2005-12-31}}</ref> [[Ricky Ponting]] won the toss and chose to bat, and [[Steve Harmison]] shook up the opening batsmen early on, hitting Australia's batsmen with bouncers; the second ball of the match hit [[Justin Langer]] on the elbow<ref name=BBBTest1>{{cite web |url = http://aus.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005/AUS_IN_ENG/SCORECARDS/AUS_ENG_T1_21-25JUL2005_BBB-COMMS.html |title = The Ashes 2005 - Ball-By-Ball Commentary - 1st Test |publisher = Cricinfo |date = [[2005-07-24]] |accessdate = 2005-12-31}}</ref> but he went on to make 40 and top score for Australia. The pitch offered bounce and swing from the start,<ref name=BBCDay1/> while [[Matthew Hoggard]] got a ball on line to swing between [[Matthew Hayden]]'s bat and pad and into his off stump. Hayden was gone for 12, having, according to the BBC report, "played nervously from the word go".<ref name=BBCDay1/> Australia still scored at a rate above 4.5 an over in the mini-session before drinks, which was taken when Harmison cut Ponting on the right cheek,<ref name=BBBTest1/> and in his next over Harmison got his first wicket of the series as [[Ricky Ponting]] edged him to [[Andrew Strauss]] at third [[slip (cricket)|slip]]<ref name=BBCDay1/> for 9. Langer was next to depart, having scored at above five an over when he top-edged a pull shot to Harmison at square-leg for 40 off the bowling of [[Andrew Flintoff]], whose first over in Ashes cricket was a wicket maiden. In the next over, [[Simon Jones (cricketer)|Simon Jones]] was brought on, he got an immediate reward, with [[Damien Martyn]] caught behind for 2, and in the penultimate over before lunch [[Michael Clarke (cricketer)|Michael Clarke]] was [[Leg before wicket|lbw]] to Jones, leaving Australia were five down after the first session of play.<ref name=scorecardTest1/>
[[Adam Gilchrist]], [[Simon Katich]] and [[Shane Warne]] all played a part in getting Australia past 100, forging innings in the 20s, but Flintoff had Gilchrist for 26 before Warne and Katich added 49 for the seventh wicket. Harmison, coming back for a second spell, was wicketless in his first two overs but after drinks he took 2.2–0–7–4 as Australia were all out for 190. He finished with five for 43, and was commended for his control of length by Cricinfo journalists S Rajesh and Arun Gopalakrishnan.<ref name=CIStats1>{{cite news |url = http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/engvaus/content/story/213999.html |title = A tale of two metronomes |publisher = Cricinfo |date = [[2005-07-21]] |accessdate = 2005-12-31}}</ref> [[Glenn McGrath]] was the [[not out]] batsman, ending with 10 runs, and he also opened the bowling with [[Brett Lee]]. England batted for six overs until tea without losing a wicket, scoring ten runs, but McGrath, who bowled his usual accurate line and length,<ref name=CIStats1/> reaped the rewards after tea. [[Marcus Trescothick]] fell first ball after tea, edging to slip to become McGrath's 500th victim in Test cricket, and Strauss fell in similar fashion three balls later. Michael Vaughan and [[Ian Bell (cricketer)|Ian Bell]] survived six overs, adding seven runs before McGrath had them bowled in the 13th and 15th over respectively. With [[Andrew Flintoff|Flintoff]] [[bowled]] by McGrath in the 17th, and England had lost five wickets for 21 runs, with five of their top six batsmen out in single figures. However, [[Kevin Pietersen]] and [[Geraint Jones]] batted together to make England's highest partnership of the innings, adding 58 and, according to the BBC report, "treating [[Jason Gillespie]] with some disdain".<ref name=BBCDay1/> A short ball from [[Brett Lee]] was too much for Jones, though, and he fended it to wicket-keeper [[Adam Gilchrist|Gilchrist]] to be out for 30. [[Ashley Giles]] hit two quick boundaries to bat out the over, but the last ball of Lee's next over was glanced to the keeper, and Giles was out for 11, and England were 92 for 7 overnight - needing 98 for the last three wickets to get level with Australia.
'''Day Two'''
England cut the deficit on the second morning, but were still bowled out before they could build a second-innings lead. [[Matthew Hoggard|Hoggard]] departed for a 16-ball duck, cutting a delivery from [[Shane Warne]] to [[Matthew Hayden|Hayden]] in the slips. Pietersen now started to attack, taking twenty-one runs off seven deliveries before he was out [[Caught (cricket)|caught]] by [[Damien Martyn]], a diving catch just inside the boundary,<ref name=CIDay2>{{cite news |url = http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/engvaus/content/story/214027.html |title = Clarke's class gives Australia the edge |first = Andrew |last = Miller |publisher = Cricinfo |date = [[2005-07-22]] |accessdate = 2006-01-01}}</ref> and England were nine down for 122, still trailing by 68. The English tenth wicket pairing of [[Simon Jones (cricketer)|Simon Jones]] and [[Steve Harmison|Harmison]] added 33 after that, a stand which was fifth-highest of the game thus far and which reduced Australia's lead to 35 runs. In the field, England started by having [[Justin Langer|Langer]] [[run out]] for 6 in the fifth over, but Hayden and [[Ricky Ponting]] rebuilt to bat until lunch unbeaten.
Though Hayden was [[bowled]] by Flintoff for 34 three overs after lunch, the batsmen from three to six all passed forty; it was to be the only time in the series that Australia accomplished this feat. [[Michael Clarke (cricketer)|Clarke]] needed an extra life to do it, but made England pay after Pietersen dropped him on 21,<ref>{{cite news |url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/cricket/england/4706335.stm |title = Late wickets stem Aussie charge |publisher = BBC Sport |date = [[2005-07-22]]] |accessdate = 2006-01-01}}</ref> and thus the partnership was allowed to last for 34.3 overs, with 155 runs being scored. [[Andrew Flintoff|Flintoff]] was smashed to all corners, with 84 runs being scored off him in his nineteen second-day overs,<ref name=BBBTest1/> but in the last ten overs England came back to take wickets. Started by an inside-edge from Clarke off Hoggard, which left Australia's 24-year-old batsman bowled for 91, and Australia lost a further three wickets for 24 runs before the end of the day. The Australian lead was still 314, twice England's first innings total and then some, and [[Simon Katich|Katich]] was still batting, not out on 10.<ref name=CIDay2/>
'''Day Three'''
Four overs into the morning, specialist spin bowler [[Ashley Giles]] was involved in a dismissal for the first and only time in the match, having [[Brett Lee|Lee]] run out for 8. However, [[Jason Gillespie]] batted for an hour and 15 minutes, and took part in a 52-run stand with the recognised batsman, Katich before [[Simon Jones (cricketer)|Simon Jones]] got his reward with an away-swinger that crashed into Gillespie's off-stump - after having three catches dropped.<ref name=CIDay3>{{cite news |url = http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/engvaus/content/story/214122.html |title = Warne magic rocks England |first = Jenny |last = Thompson |publisher = Cricinfo |date = [[2005-07-23]] |accessdate = 2005-12-01}}</ref> The last wicket partnership rubbed it in with 43 more runs before Katich was caught by Simon Jones off [[Steve Harmison|Harmison]], but England were set what would be a [[List of Test cricket records|world record]] 420 to win.
They started positively, riding their luck and good favour with the umpires; [[Aleem Dar]] turned down four [[leg before wicket]] (LBW) appeals off [[Shane Warne]], though the Cricinfo commentator only claimed that one of them should have been given.<ref name=BBBTest1/> [[Andrew Strauss|Strauss]] and [[Marcus Trescothick|Trescothick]] could thus add 80 for the first wicket before Strauss edged a short-ball from [[Brett Lee|Lee]] back into the bowler's waiting hands.<ref name=CIDay3/> [[Michael Vaughan|Vaughan]] got off the mark with a four with his second ball, however, before facing 24 dot balls in the next three-quarters of an hour. Meanwhile, wickets fell at the other end, as Trescothick departed for 44, edging a straight ball from Warne to first slip after having taken him for ten in the previous over, and [[Ian Bell (cricketer)|Bell]] was out LBW to a ball that didn't turn. Three overs later, [[Michael Vaughan|Vaughan]] was bowled cleanly by Lee and Flintoff gave a catch to Gilchrist,<ref name=CIDay3/> England were five down for 115, and though [[Kevin Pietersen|Pietersen]] once again put on more than 40 runs with Geraint Jones, England still needed 301 for the last five wickets, which would mean five partnerships higher than England had managed all match.
'''Day Four'''
Rain frustrated both [[Australian cricket team|Australia]] and neutral fans who wanted to see cricket played on the morning of the fourth day, but at 1545 BST the rain relented and the covers were taken off.<ref>{{cite news |url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/cricket/england/4711875.stm |title = England suffer huge Lord's defeat |publisher = BBC Sport |date = [[2005-07-24]] |accessdate = 2007-01-04}}</ref> Then, it took ten overs for Australia to wrap up England's innings, [[Glenn McGrath|McGrath]] taking four of the five wickets required and [[Shane Warne|Warne]] the last; [[Ashley Giles|Giles]], [[Matthew Hoggard|Hoggard]], [[Steve Harmison|Harmison]] and [[Simon Jones (cricketer)|Simon Jones]] were all dismissed for ducks, and England could only cut 24 runs off Australia's eventual win margin of 239. 22 of those fourth-day runs came from [[Kevin Pietersen|Pietersen]] who was left stranded on an unbeaten 64 to have a Test [[batting average]] of 121 after his first match.
====Second Test: England v Australia (4–7 August)====
{| width="100%" style="background: #EBF5FF"
|-
| width="15%" valign="top" rowspan="2" | [[Image:Flag of England.svg|20px]] '''[[English cricket team|England]]'''
| width="18%" | '''407'''
| width="12%" | &
| width="20%" | '''182'''
| width="35%" | '''{{cr|ENG}} won by 2 runs'''<ref name=scorecardTest2>{{cite web |url = http://uk.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005/AUS_IN_ENG/SCORECARDS/AUS_ENG_T2_04-08AUG2005.html |title = 2nd Test: England v Australia at Edgbaston, 4-7 Aug 2005 |publisher = Cricinfo |date = [[2005-07-24]] |accessdate = 2005-12-31}}</ref>
|-
| style="font-size: 85%;" valign="top" |
[[Marcus Trescothick|ME Trescothick]] 90<br>
[[Shane Warne|SK Warne]] 4/116
|
| style="font-size: 85%;" |
[[Andrew Flintoff|A Flintoff]] 73<br>
[[Shane Warne|SK Warne]] 6/46
| valign="top" style="font-size: 85%;" rowspan="3" |
[[Edgbaston Cricket Ground|Edgbaston]], [[Birmingham]], [[England]]<br>
Umpires: [[Billy Bowden|BF Bowden]] ([[New Zealand|NZ]]) and [[Rudi Koertzen|RE Koertzen]] ([[South Africa|SA]])<br>
Man of the Match: [[Andrew Flintoff|A Flintoff]] ([[England|Eng]])<br>
|-
| valign="top" rowspan="2" | [[Image:Flag of Australia.svg|20px]] '''[[Australian cricket team|Australia]]'''
| '''308'''
|| &
|| '''279'''
|-
| style="font-size: 85%;" |
[[Justin Langer|JL Langer]] 82<br>
[[Andrew Flintoff|A Flintoff]] 3/52
|
| valign="top" style="font-size: 85%;" |
[[Brett Lee|B Lee]] 43*<br>
[[Andrew Flintoff|A Flintoff]] 4/79
|}
'''Day One'''
The psychological battles before the match included many Australian statements to the press about how the pitch "played into [their] hands",<ref>[http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/engvaus/content/story/214826.html Australia look forward to slow Edgbaston pitch], from AFP, published on Cricinfo on [[1 August]] [[2005]]</ref> that England had been "spending too much time talking",<ref>[http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/engvaus/content/story/214801.html Australia benefit from 'all-talk' approach] published on Cricinfo on [[1 August]] [[2005]]</ref> and that their top order had been "taking bad options".<ref>[http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/engvaus/content/story/214799.html England batsmen took 'bad options' - McGrath] published on Cricinfo on [[1 August]] [[2005]]</ref> England kept quieter, until just before the game stories appeared about how the Edgbaston game would be decided at the toss: whichever side won it would choose to [[bowling (cricket)|bowl]] first and would win, as had happened in 12 of the 13 Tests at Edgbaston since [[1991 English cricket season|1991]].<ref>[http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/ci/content/story/214933.html A win-the-toss-and-bowl venue] by S Rajesh, published on Cricinfo on [[3 August]] [[2005]]</ref> England came out on top in the mind game after [[Ricky Ponting]] won the toss and put England in to bat; [[Jonathan Agnew]] of the BBC claimed "it was clear that his decision had backfired" once England started batting.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/cricket/england/4746941.stm Jonathan Agnew column] published on BBC Sport [[4 August]] [[2005]]</ref>
[[English cricket team|England]] took advantage of being inserted and came back strongly, becoming the first team to hit 400 runs in a first day of [[Test cricket]] against Australia since [[1938 English cricket season|1938]].<ref>[http://sport.guardian.co.uk/ashes2005/story/0,15993,1543068,00.html England explode from the blocks] by Mike Selvey, published by The Guardian on [[5 August]] [[2005]]</ref> The English scored at a pace above four an over in their opening partnership, helped by the freak [[injury]] that [[Glenn McGrath]] sustained before the match; during a warm-up (playing [[rugby football|rugby]]), the [[fast bowling|pace-man]] accidentally stood on a cricket ball, tearing ankle ligaments.<ref>[http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/engvaus/content/story/215050.html McGrath ruled out with ankle injury] published on Cricinfo on [[4 August]] [[2005]]</ref> Australia had to field [[Michael Kasprowicz]] as replacement, and Cricinfo correspondent Will Luke claimed that "Australia ha[d] missed him" after the first day's play.<ref>[http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/engvaus/content/story/215068.html Australia's missing metronome] by Will Luke, published by Cricinfo on [[4 August]] [[2005]]</ref>
The English innings began with [[Marcus Trescothick]] hitting nine [[Boundary (cricket)#4 or 6 runs|boundaries]] off [[Brett Lee]], while [[Andrew Strauss]] preferred [[Jason Gillespie]] and [[Michael Kasprowicz]].<ref name=Test2PvP>[http://usa.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005/AUS_IN_ENG/SCORECARDS/AUS_ENG_T2_04-08AUG2005_PLYR-V-PLYR.html 2nd Test: Player v Player Statistics] from Cricinfo, retrieved on [[4 January]] [[2006]]</ref> Their 112-run [[partnership (cricket)|partnership]] was the highest by England in the series thus far; the Australians had only surpassed that once, through [[Damien Martyn]] and [[Michael Clarke (cricketer)|Michael Clarke]]'s 155 at [[Lord's Cricket Ground|Lord's]]. To add to Australia's woes, Trescothick was caught off a no-ball on 32,<ref name=BBCDay1T2>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/cricket/england/4742603.stm Australia hold aggressive England] from BBC Sport, published [[4 August]] [[2005]]</ref> and eventually went on to make 90, being the second man out shortly after lunch, with the score 164 for 2 after 32.3 overs.
In the next five overs, England lost both [[Ian Bell (cricketer)|Ian Bell]], who notched up his third successive single-figure score, and [[Michael Vaughan]], who pulled a short [[Jason Gillespie|Gillespie]] delivery to the hands of [[Brett Lee|Lee]], but that did little to slow the scoring rate. 132 runs had been taken in the morning session; the afternoon yielded 157. [[Kevin Pietersen]], in his second Test match, hit ten fours and one six, and made a 103-run partnership in 105 balls with [[Andrew Flintoff]].<ref name=ScorecardTest2>[http://uk.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005/AUS_IN_ENG/SCORECARDS/AUS_ENG_T2_04-08AUG2005.html 2nd Test: England v Australia at Edgbaston, 4-8 Aug 2005], scorecard from Cricinfo, retrieved [[4 December]] [[2005]]</ref> Flintoff's 68 was scored off 62 balls, and Lee's 18 balls were taken for 26 runs, including two sixes.<ref name=Test2PvP/>
Lee bowled 17 overs, and conceded 111 runs, but got the one wicket of [[Kevin Pietersen|Pietersen]], who pulled to [[Simon Katich]] for 71 off 76 balls, and with the score on 342 for 7 with 24 scheduled overs remaining in the day. Then, [[Steve Harmison]] smacked two fours and a six in a 15-minute 17, and [[Simon Jones (cricketer)|Simon Jones]] stuck around with [[Matthew Hoggard]] for a last-wicket partnership of 32, Jones making 19 [[not out]]. [[Shane Warne]] finally got the better of Hoggard, to end with four for 116, but by that time England had gone past 400 and ended up with a total of 407 in just under 80 overs. Just as Australia's opening batsman walked out and prepared for their innings, the rain began to fall on Edgbaston, and play had to be stopped.<ref name=BBCDay1T2/>
'''Day Two'''
The quick scoring and the first Test result led commentators such as Cricinfo's UK editor Andrew Miller to believe that England's total "might have been 550 and more with a bit of top-order application",<ref>[http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/engvaus/content/story/215109.html England's chancers miss a trick] by Andrew Miller, published on Cricinfo on [[4 August]] [[2005]]</ref> suggesting that there were more runs in the pitch. However, England's bowlers started well when [[Steve Harmison]] bowled a maiden over first up to [[Justin Langer]], and [[Matthew Hayden]] holed out to Harmison's new-ball partner [[Matthew Hoggard]] for a [[Duck (cricket)|golden duck]] - the first of Hayden's Test career.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/cricket/england/4747865.stm England take control at Edgbaston] published by BBC Sport on [[5 December]] [[2005]]</ref> Then, [[Ricky Ponting]] and [[Justin Langer]] hit runs just as quickly as England had done, before the [[umpire (cricket)|umpire]]'s finger went up twice more before lunch; [[Ricky Ponting]] swept a shot off [[Ashley Giles]] to the opposing captain [[Michael Vaughan|Vaughan]] for 61, and [[Damien Martyn]] was [[run out]] taking a single for 20. [[Justin Langer|Langer]] and [[Michael Clarke (cricketer)|Michael Clarke]] continued after lunch in the same vein, hitting 76 runs in an hour and a half, but a couple of wickets within five overs took Australia to 208 for 5, needing 199 for the last five wickets for parity. The partnership between Langer and Gilchrist saw them to tea with no further loss, as Langer continued his four-hour unbeaten knock and went into the tea break on 72.
The pair looked to close England's lead and batted unbeaten after tea for eight overs, but again the England bowlers intervened - this time in the shape of [[Simon Jones (cricketer)|Simon Jones]], who got plenty of reverse swing both ways<ref name=CITest2Day2>[http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/engvaus/content/story/215122.html England lead by 124 after Giles answers critics] by Andrew McGlashan, published on Cricinfo on [[5 August]] [[2005]]</ref> and used that to trap [[Justin Langer|Langer]] with a [[yorker]] - gone for 82, which was to be Australia's highest score in the innings. Australia's last four, which now included [[Michael Kasprowicz]] who had a batting average 10 runs higher than [[Glenn McGrath|McGrath]], were nevertheless all dismissed for single-figure scores, [[Andrew Flintoff|Flintoff]] taking the two last men [[leg before wicket|LBW]] with the two last balls, although there was some argument about whether the first dismissal, that of Gillespie, was actually out or not.<ref name=CITest2Day2/> Meanwhile, [[Ashley Giles]]' return of three for 78, including Ponting, Clarke and Katich, was to be his best bowling figures all series.<ref>[http://www.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005/AUS_IN_ENG/STATS/AUS_IN_ENG_JUN-SEP2005_TEST_AVS.html Australia in England, 2005 Test Series Averages] from Cricinfo, retrieved [[4 January]] [[2006]]</ref>
However, England got their 99-run lead and continued to build their lead before stumps were drawn. After [[Marcus Trescothick|Trescothick]] and [[Andrew Strauss|Strauss]] had hit five boundaries in six overs and taken the second innings total to 25 for 0,<ref>[http://usa.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005/AUS_IN_ENG/SCORECARDS/AUS_ENG_T2_04-08AUG2005_BBB-COMMS.html The Ashes 2005 - Ball-By-Ball Commentary, 2nd Test] from Cricinfo, retrieved [[4 January]] [[2006]]</ref> [[Ricky Ponting|Ponting]] brought on [[Shane Warne|Warne]] in the seventh over, and Warne broke through with his second ball of the innings; his [[leg break]] came into the left-hander's stumps and broke them completely, and Strauss was bowled for 6. [[Nightwatchman (cricket)|Nightwatchman]] [[Matthew Hoggard]] survived four balls to end the day - England still leading by 124, with nine wickets in hand.
'''Day Three'''
The third day saw a total of seventeen wickets fall, with [[Shane Warne]] and [[Andrew Flintoff]] being the leading performers for their sides. First up, [[Brett Lee]] grabbed three wickets in twelve minutes - [[Marcus Trescothick|Trescothick]] slashed a wide delivery and got an edge to the keeper, captain [[Michael Vaughan|Vaughan]] got his third single-figure score in the series as he failed to cover his stumps to a straight one, and nightwatchman Hoggard edged to [[Matthew Hayden|Hayden]] in the slips for 1.
[[English cricket team|England]] had lost four wickets for six runs, and were 31 for 4 with [[Ian Bell (cricketer)|Ian Bell]] and [[Kevin Pietersen]] at the crease. Pietersen survived what looked like an edge on the first ball he faced,<ref name=CITest2Day3>[http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/engvaus/content/story/215198.html Flintoff takes England to the brink of victory] by Jenny Thompson, published by Cricinfo on [[6 August]] [[2005]]</ref> and went on to make 20 before he was given out in a similar situation from [[Shane Warne]]. His 41-run partnership with Bell took England's lead past 150, and with Bell having batted past the hour mark, he needed 29 more for his half-century when he gave a tiny edge to [[Adam Gilchrist|Gilchrist]].
England's last recognised batting pairing, between [[Andrew Flintoff|Flintoff]] and wicket-keeper [[Geraint Jones]], saw England to lunch, but Flintoff had suffered an injury to his left shoulder and looked in obvious pain,<ref name=CITest2Day3/> and Jones departed shortly after lunch. [[Ashley Giles|Giles]] lasted longer, batting through 45 minutes before he was caught by [[Matthew Hayden|Hayden]], and [[Steve Harmison|Harmison]] faced one delivery to leave England at 131 for 9.
[[Simon Jones (cricketer)|Jones]] and Flintoff carried on, however. Jones managed 12 runs in his 42-minute stay at the crease while Flintoff took [[Brett Lee|Lee]] for 33 off the 28 balls he faced from the Australian paceman.<ref name=Test2PvP/> Flintoff also took runs off [[Michael Kasprowicz|Kasprowicz]], with his third over yielding 20 runs for England, including a couple of [[no ball]]s. At one point during Flintoff's innings, Ponting had nine men on the boundary, with only the bowler and the wicket-keeper inside the circle. However, Flintoff hit a six over them, too,<ref name=CITest2Day3/> and another of his sixes landed on top of the stands. Flintoff ended with 73, as the only man to pass 25 for England, before he was bowled by Warne. Warne finished with figures of six for 46 from 23.1 overs, having bowled unchanged from the seventh over till the end - but, as luck and Australia's batsmen would have it, his failure to get Flintoff out earlier would be crucial.
[[Matthew Hayden]] and [[Justin Langer]] started positively, taking runs off the occasional bad balls that were served up by [[Steve Harmison|Harmison]], [[Matthew Hoggard|Hoggard]] and [[Ashley Giles|Giles]], and by the twelfth over they had racked up 47 for no loss, and were well on the way to chasing the target of 282. Then, Flintoff came and bowled the over of the series. He failed to make the [[hat-trick]] he was on from the last innings, but with his second ball he bowled Langer with a leg cutter. His third delivery was narrowly turned down for lbw, the fourth found Ponting's edge but failed to carry to slip, an lbw appeal on the fifth was also turned down, but his sixth which Ponting left outside the offstump was a no ball, so there was a seventh and final delivery, another leg cutter and Ponting was out caught behind. Including the previous innings, Flintoff had taken four wickets in nine balls. But more importantly, Australia had been reduced from 47-0 to 48-2.
Hayden kept going, and his dismissal came in an over where Australia had taken eight runs from the first four balls; however, [[Simon Jones (cricketer)|Simon Jones]] got the last laugh over Hayden - only to later be reprimanded and fined by the [[International Cricket Council|ICC]] for his celebrations.<ref>[http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/engvaus/content/story/215317.html Simon Jones fined for send-off] published on Cricinfo on [[7 August]] [[2005]]</ref> England kept on the pressure, getting three more wickets before the scheduled close of play; [[Ashley Giles|Giles]] getting two, dismissing [[Simon Katich|Katich]] and [[Adam Gilchrist|Gilchrist]], and an inswinging ball from [[Andrew Flintoff|Flintoff]] took care of [[Jason Gillespie|Gillespie]], who was trapped lbw.
An extra half-hour of play was allowed, as a result was nearing, but [[Shane Warne|Warne]] and [[Michael Clarke (cricketer)|Clarke]] defied the English. Warne "took the attacking approach",<ref name=CITest2Day3/> and took on [[Ashley Giles|Giles]] for 12 in one over. He ended on 20 not out overnight, as Warne and Clarke batted together for 40 minutes before [[Steve Harmison]], bowling his third spell of the day, brought the third day's proceedings to an end with a slow delivery that was not read correctly by [[Michael Clarke (cricketer)|Clarke]], who missed the ball completely to be [[bowled]]. England now needed two wickets on the fourth day, while Australia needed 107 runs for the victory.
'''Day Four'''
England were said to be "on the brink of...victory",<ref name=CITest2Day3/> but Australia came back thanks to two partnerships worth more than 40 to take themselves within three runs of a 2–0 series lead. First, [[Shane Warne|Warne]] and [[Brett Lee|Lee]] added 45 for the ninth wicket, before Warne trod on his own stumps after a full Flintoff ball and was out [[hit wicket]]. Kasprowicz came in and supported Lee well, fending off aggressive bowling from Flintoff and Harmison, and [[Simon Jones (cricketer)|Simon Jones]] dropped Kasprowicz with 15 left to get.<ref>[http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/engvaus/content/story/215305.html England hold nerve in two-run thriller] by Jenny Thompson, published by Cricinfo on [[7 August]] [[2005]]</ref> With three runs needed to win, Harmison had Kasprowicz caught behind, with replays showing that the ball hit the batsman's hand when it was off the bat,<ref name="BBCDay5T2">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/cricket/england/4128908.stm England clinch thrilling victory] published on BBC Sport on [[7 August]] [[2005]]</ref> which led the BBC reporter to suggest the "dismissal should not have been given".<ref name="BBCDay5T2"/> England were thus victors - if in almost the most narrow way possible - and the series tied with three matches left.
Rather than engaging in the victory celebrations, the immediate reaction of Flintoff to the winning dismissal was to console the despondent batsmen, Brett Lee, – a gesture which was widely commented upon as indicative of the good [[sportsmanship]] and mutual respect between the teams which characterised the series.<ref>[http://www.sportinglife.com/fanzine/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=Sporting_Life/05/11/29/manual_122612.html ASHES HEROICS WAS FRONT PAGE NEWS] by Myles Hodgson, URL retrieved [[5 January]] [[2006]]</ref><ref>[http://www.theage.com.au/news/geoff-mcclure/sporting-life/2005/10/04/1128191719414.html Photograph that sealed a friendship] by Geoff McClare, in Sporting Life column in The Age, published [[5 October]] [[2005]]</ref><ref>[http://www.ecb.co.uk/england/npower-tests/lee-excited-to-face-flintoff-again,6332,EN.html Lee keen to face Flintoff again] published by [[England and Wales Cricket Board]], URL retrieved [[5 January]] [[2006]]</ref>
England's two run victory was the narrowest result in Ashes cricket history thus far (there had been two Ashes Tests won by a margin of only three runs). It is also the second narrowest run victory in all Test cricket history.<ref>[http://uk.cricinfo.com/db/STATS/TESTS/RESULTS/CLOSEST_TESTS_BY_RUNS.html Tests - Lowest Win Margins by Runs] from Cricinfo, retrieved [[5 January]] [[2006]]</ref>
====Third Test: England v Australia (11–15 August)====
{| width="100%" style="background: #EBF5FF"
|-
| width="15%" valign="top" rowspan="2" | [[Image:Flag of England.svg|20px]] '''[[English cricket team|England]]'''
| width="18%" | '''444'''
| width="12%" | &
| width="20%" | '''280/6d'''
| width="35%" | '''Match drawn'''<ref name=ScorecardTest3>[http://uk.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005/AUS_IN_ENG/SCORECARDS/AUS_ENG_T3_11-15AUG2005.html 2nd Test: England v Australia at Edgbaston, 4-8 Aug 2005], scorecard from Cricinfo, retrieved [[4 December]] [[2005]]</ref>
|-
| style="font-size: 85%;" valign="top" |
[[Michael Vaughan|MP Vaughan]] 166<br>
[[Shane Warne|SK Warne]] 4/99
|
| style="font-size: 85%;" |
[[Andrew Strauss|AJ Strauss]] 106<br>
[[Glenn McGrath|GD McGrath]] 5/115
| valign="top" style="font-size: 85%;" rowspan="3" |
[[Old Trafford (cricket)|Old Trafford]], [[Manchester]], [[England]]<br>
Umpires: [[Billy Bowden|BF Bowden]] ([[New Zealand|NZ]]) and [[Steve Bucknor|SA Bucknor]] ([[West Indies cricket team|WI]])<br>
Man of the Match: [[Ricky Ponting|RT Ponting]] ([[Australia|Aus]])<br>
|-
| valign="top" rowspan="2" | [[Image:Flag of Australia.svg|20px]] '''[[Australian cricket team|Australia]]'''
| '''302'''
|| &
|| '''371/9'''
|-
| style="font-size: 85%;" |
[[Shane Warne|SK Warne]] 90<br>
[[Simon Jones (cricketer)|SP Jones]] 6/53
|
| valign="top" style="font-size: 85%;" |
[[Ricky Ponting|RT Ponting]] 156<br>
[[Andrew Flintoff|A Flintoff]] 4/71
|}
'''Day One'''
With the series square after England's close win in the second match at [[Edgbaston Cricket Ground|Edgbaston]] in [[Birmingham]], neither side could secure the series win after the third Test at [[Old Trafford (cricket)|Old Trafford]] in [[Manchester]], so there was still all to play for. The match began with England winning the toss, and choosing to bat first, thus giving [[Shane Warne]] a chance to become the first man to take 600 Test [[Wicket#Dismissing a batsman|wickets]] in England's first innings, and he did so by getting [[Marcus Trescothick]] out caught behind by Australian wicket-keeper [[Adam Gilchrist]] when he mistimed a sweep shot,<ref name=BBCTest3Day1>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/cricket/england/4141910.stm Vaughan's ton puts England on top] from BBC Sport, published [[11 August]] [[2005]]</ref> earning Warne a standing ovation from the [[Old Trafford (cricket)|Old Trafford]] faithful.<ref>[http://in.rediff.com/cricket/2005/aug/11warne.htm Warne takes 600th Test wicket] by Tony Lawrence, published by rediff.com on [[11 August]] [[2005]]</ref>
After naming an unchanged line-up, [[English cricket team|England]] were immediately faced by the pairing of [[Glenn McGrath]] and [[Brett Lee]]. There were doubts about whether these could play before the match started, due to injuries sustained earlier, but they both passed fitness tests.<ref>[http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/engvaus/content/story/215598.html Warne to the fore as Ashes come ablaze] by Andrew Miller on [[10 August]] [[2005]]</ref> Though Strauss succumbed in the tenth over, England lost no further wickets before lunch, and only one more before tea. There were many missed opportunities for [[Australian cricket team|Australia]], who dropped Trescothick, [[Michael Vaughan|Vaughan]] (twice) and [[Ian Bell (cricketer)|Bell]] on the first day,<ref name=BBCTest3Day1 /> which helped Trescothick and Vaughan to get a partnership of 137 before Trescothick was dismissed after lunch. Vaughan powered on, making his hundred after 206 minutes to become the first man in the series to get a century.
Having made 166 runs, an innings described as "majestic",<ref name=BBCTest3Day1/> Vaughan eventually hit Katich straight to McGrath at the boundary,<ref name=BBCTest3Day1/> but had still made what was to be the highest individual score in the series. Together with Vaughan, Australia were also faced with a more defiant Bell, who had not passed 25 in his four first innings in the series, but made 59 before the day ended. Picking up where Vaughan left off, Bell, [[Kevin Pietersen]] and nightwatchman [[Matthew Hoggard]] closed out the day for England with the scoreboard reading 341 for 5, with Lee adding two wickets to the tally before the end of the day.
'''Day Two'''
Bell did not add to his overnight score, being given out [[Caught (cricket)|caught]] behind in controversial circumstances, as replays indicated any contact with the ball involved neither bat nor glove.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/cricket/england/4143430.stm England leave Australia reeling]</ref> Following a brief rain interval England then lost two more wickets just before lunch, [[Andrew Flintoff]] after scoring a quick-fire 46 and [[Geraint Jones]] for 42. After lunch Australia quickly dispatched the remaining two wickets for just a further 10 runs, bowling England out for a score of 444, with [[Glenn McGrath]] finishing on his worst-ever Test figures of nought for 86.
Australia started their innings tentatively with [[Matthew Hoggard]] dropping a low catch [[Matthew Hayden]] off his own bowling. Just before tea Australia lost their first wicket with Hayden out caught at short leg from [[Ashley Giles]] first over. After tea Australia lost another couple of wickets, [[Ricky Ponting]] caught for seven and Hayden given out [[Leg before wicket|lbw]] for 34. [[Adam Gilchrist|Gilchrist]] put on 30 before edging the first ball of [[Simon Jones (cricketer)|Simon Jones]]' spell to Geraint Jones.
This brought in [[Michael Clarke (cricketer)|Michael Clarke]] who had been recuperating at the team hotel after damaging his back on the first day. Due to this injury, Clarke needed [[Matthew Hayden|Hayden]] to act as a runner. Warne made inroads with the bat, just like at [[Edgbaston Cricket Ground|Edgbaston]] four days previously, but Clarke only managed to add seven runs before being deceived by a slower ball from Simon Jones. Warne and [[Jason Gillespie]] saw the day out with Warne finishing on 45 [[not out]].
The day finished with Australia on 214 for 7, 230 behind and needing another 31 runs to avoid a [[follow-on]]. The score was adjusted from 210 overnight due to an umpire failing to signal a four [[bye (cricket)|byes]].
'''Day Three'''
Rain delayed the start of play until 16:00 BST, and even then only 8 overs were possible before play was again suspended, although a further 6 overs were bowled later on before yet more rain meant that play was abandoned for the day. Australia had the better of the short day's play, adding 50 runs without loss to pass the follow-on target, although Warne was lucky to survive on two occasions thanks to errors by [[Geraint Jones]]: when [[Shane Warne|Warne]] had 55 he missed a relatively straightforward [[Stump (cricket)|stumping]] opportunity, and on 68 he was dropped after edging a ball from [[Andrew Flintoff|Flintoff]]. Australia closed on 264 for 7, still 180 in arrears, but England probably felt that they missed several opportunities to put the game beyond their opponents.
'''Day Four'''
Having been hampered by a rain-shortened day three, the Australians were ready to put more wood to the ball on day four, and they did not disappoint. [[Shane Warne|Warne]] continued his march towards his maiden Test century before holing out with a hook shot to a well placed [[Ashley Giles|Giles]] at 90. [[Simon Jones (cricketer)|Simon Jones]] mopped up the other two wickets to bowl [[Australian cricket team|Australia]] out for 302, Jones finishing the innings with a career best [[bowling analysis|figures]] of six for 53.
The English opening batsmen of [[Andrew Strauss]] and [[Marcus Trescothick]] began England's response, scoring 26 before lunch. After lunch, Trescothick played on to be [[bowled]] after scoring 41 giving [[Glenn McGrath|McGrath]] his first wicket of the match. Strauss put together a fine century, his sixth from just 17 matches, scoring 106 before getting out caught. [[Adam Gilchrist|Gilchrist]] demonstrated how difficult wicket-keeping was by missing two stumping opportunities to remove [[Ian Bell (cricketer)|Bell]] and failing to hold a catch to remove [[Andrew Flintoff|Flintoff]]. Bell capitalised on Gilchrist's errors, partnering Strauss for 28 overs and recording a well deserved 65. [[Geraint Jones]] also added a swift 27 with England more concerned about scoring quickly than staying at the crease, and England declared on 280 to give them a spell at Australia in the evening and a chance of winning the match the next day. McGrath recorded another five-wicket haul in an innings, but was expensive, giving away 115 runs. [[Shane Warne|Warne]], despite bowling 25 overs, failed to take a wicket, recording figures of nought for 74.
Australia needed 423 to win, which would be a record fourth innings total to win a match. Australia saw out the last 10 [[over (cricket)|overs]] without losing a wicket and put 24 runs, leaving 399.
'''Day Five'''
English hopes of a win were high, and 20,000 people were locked out of the stadium in addition to the 23,000 capacity crowd. Australia started the day needing 399 more runs from 98 overs if they were to claim an unlikely victory. The day started poorly for them with [[Justin Langer|Langer]] falling for 14 on the seventh ball of the day, nicking a ball delivered by [[Matthew Hoggard]] behind to [[Geraint Jones]]. [[Ricky Ponting|Ponting]] narrowly survived being [[run out]] early on and this proved crucial in the context of the match as the momentum gradually swung in Australia's direction. At one point Australia racked up runs at such a rate that a win became a real possibility. Despite losing [[Michael Clarke (cricketer)|Clarke]] and [[Jason Gillespie]] in quick succession to send the team to 264 for 7, Ponting battled on before eventually succumbing to [[Steve Harmison|Harmison]] after seven hours on the crease to record the first Australian century of the series with a score of 156. This was good enough to earn Man of the Match honours.
After the dismissal of Ponting, Australia were 354 for 9 with only four overs remaining, and another thrilling climax occurred with England having a real chance of snatching victory in similar fashion to the second Test. However, the unfancied pairing of [[Brett Lee]] and [[Glenn McGrath]] handled the remaining 24 deliveries to finish on 371 for 9, 52 short of victory but sufficient to draw the game and leave the series tied at 1–1. <ref>[http://live.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005/AUS_IN_ENG/SCORECARDS/AUS_ENG_T3_11-15AUG2005.html Third Test Scorecard], [[Cricinfo]], retrieved [[27 November]] [[2006]].</ref>
====Fourth Test: England v Australia (25-28 August)====
{| width="100%" style="background: #EBF5FF"
|-
| width="15%" valign="top" rowspan="2" | [[Image:Flag of England.svg|20px]] '''[[English cricket team|England]]'''
| width="18%" | '''477'''
| width="12%" | &
| width="20%" | '''129/7'''
| width="35%" | '''England won by three wickets''' <ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/shared/fds/hi/statistics/cricket/scorecards/2005/8/11881/html/scorecard.stm Fourth Test Scorecard)], [[BBC Sport]], retrieved [[27 November]] [[2006]].</ref>
|-
| style="font-size: 85%;" valign="top" |
[[Andrew Flintoff|A Flintoff]] 102<br>
[[Shane Warne|SK Warne]] 4/102
|
| style="font-size: 85%;" |
[[Marcus Trescothick|ME Trescothick]] 27<br>
[[Shane Warne|SK Warne]] 4/31
| valign="top" style="font-size: 85%;" rowspan="3" |
[[Trent Bridge]], [[Nottingham]], [[England]]<br>
Umpires: [[Aleem Dar]] ([[Pakistan|Pak]]) and [[Steve Bucknor|SA Bucknor]] ([[West Indies cricket team|WI]])<br>
Man of the Match: [[Andrew Flintoff|A Flintoff]] ([[England|Eng]])<br>
|-
| valign="top" rowspan="2" | [[Image:Flag of Australia.svg|20px]] '''[[Australian cricket team|Australia]]'''
| '''218'''
|| &
|| '''387 ([[follow-on|f/o]])'''
|-
| style="font-size: 85%;" |
[[Brett Lee|B Lee]] 47<br>
[[Simon Jones (cricketer)|SP Jones]] 5/44
|
| valign="top" style="font-size: 85%;" |
[[Justin Langer|JL Langer]] 61<br>
[[Steve Harmison|SJ Harmison]] 3/93
|}
'''Day One'''
[[Glenn McGrath]] was once again ruled out due to injury, this time to his elbow, and [[Australian cricket team|Australia]] also dropped the out-of-form [[Jason Gillespie]], leaving them with a [[fast bowling|seam attack]] of [[Brett Lee]], debutant [[Shaun Tait]] and [[Michael Kasprowicz]]. [[English cricket team|England]], having been on top in the last two [[Test cricket|Tests]], were unchanged.
England won the toss and chose to bat, and they got off to a flyer. Boosted by [[no-ball]]s from the seamers — a total of 18 before lunch — [[Marcus Trescothick]] and [[Andrew Strauss]] made hay quickly, and enjoyed batting on a [[pitch (cricket)|pitch]] which gave the bowlers no aid. They recorded their second 100-run opening [[partnership (cricket)|partnership]] of the series, before Strauss was freakishly dismissed for 35, sweeping [[Shane Warne]] onto his boot and into [[Matthew Hayden]]'s waiting hands at slip — a wicket confirmed by the third umpire. [[Michael Vaughan]] continued on his fine form from [[Old Trafford (cricket)|Old Trafford]], though, punishing bad balls from Brett Lee to go into lunch with his score on 14. Trescothick, meanwhile, rode his luck, as he was [[bowled]] off a [[no-ball]] on 55, much to Lee's displeasure. At lunch England were 129 for 1.
Only 3.1 [[Over (cricket)|overs]] were possible in the afternoon session due to rain. Coming back after tea, England immediately lost two wickets to Shaun Tait, who used the cloud cover to good effect and [[swing bowling|swung]] the ball well. However, Michael Vaughan and [[Kevin Pietersen]] batted well together for a 67-run partnership, although they were each dropped once. Towards the end of the day, [[Ricky Ponting]] brought himself on, and his [[fast bowling|medium pace]] yielded a wicket — that of Vaughan for 58. Overnight, the match was evenly poised with England 229 for 4.
'''Day Two'''
Australia dismissed Pietersen at the beginning of the morning's play, edging a full oustwinger from Lee through to [[wicket-keeper]] [[Adam Gilchrist|Gilchrist]]. But an unbeaten century partnership from [[Andrew Flintoff]] and [[Geraint Jones]] took England's score to 344 for 5 at lunch.
After lunch, the pair continued to score quickly for another hour, and extended their partnership to 177 before Flintoff was [[Leg before wicket|lbw]] to Tait for 102, his first Test [[century (cricket)|century]] against Australia. The loss of Flintoff did not deter the English, as Jones continued to hit runs through the off side on the way to his highest score against the Australians, making 85 before he was [[caught and bowled]] by Kasprowicz. The next two wickets fell quickly, but a stubborn last-wicket partnership of 23 between [[Matthew Hoggard]] and [[Simon Jones (cricketer)|Simon Jones]] — including an incident where the ball hit the [[stump (cricket)|stumps]] but the [[bail (cricket)|bails]] failed to fall off — saw England to 477 all out at tea.
In the evening session, England's bowlers, especially Matthew Hoggard, managed to find much more swing than the Australian bowlers had done, and ripped through the Australian top order. The first three wickets fell in a crucial period of 11 balls (although the third, which dismissed [[Damien Martyn]] lbw, was a poor decision — television replays indicated that the ball hit the bat before the body). By [[stump (cricket)|stumps]] Australia had been reduced to 99 for 5 to complete an excellent day for England.
<gallery>
Image:Trent Bridge rain clouds, 26 Aug 2005.jpg|Rain clouds at Trent Bridge during the Fourth Test
Image:Trent Bridge, Flintoff century, 26 Aug 2005.jpg|'Freddie' Flintoff reaches 100 in front of the Fox Road Stand
</gallery>
'''Day Three'''
[[Simon Katich]] and Adam Gilchrist decided that attack was the best form of defence, adding 58 in only 8.5 overs in the morning, before England came back to take the next four wickets for the addition of only 18 runs, leaving Australia perilously placed at 175 for 9. Simon Jones was the main culprit, using [[swing bowling|swing]] to good effect as he removed Katich and Warne in successive balls, and then had Kasprowicz clean bowled. Brett Lee added 47 in 44 balls, including three huge [[Boundary (cricket)|sixes]], to take Australia's score to 218, before he was caught off Simon Jones's bowling to give Jones his fifth wicket of the innings. Despite their aggressive batting, Australia therefore finished the first [[innings]] 259 runs behind.
Michael Vaughan then gambled, by enforcing the [[follow-on]] on the visitors (the first time Australia had followed on in 17 years). By lunch, Australia had reached 14 without loss in their second innings, and they powered on in the afternoon session, only losing [[Matthew Hayden]] and adding 100 more runs before tea. For England, the afternoon session was their worst of the match — to compound their misery, Simon Jones showed signs of injury, and Andrew Strauss dropped Justin Langer on 38.
In the evening session, England managed to take three wickets, but also dropped a catch and missed a stumping. Australia thus finished the day still 37 runs in arrears but with six wickets still in hand. Simon Jones also went off the field during the evening session with an ankle injury, and was taken to hospital for an ankle scan. While Jones was off the field receiving attention, substitute fielder [[Gary Pratt]] [[run out|ran out]] Australian captain Ricky Ponting. As he left the field, Ponting, expressed his displeasure to the England dressing room at their frequent use of subs - allegedly to keep their key bowlers fresh. Although this tactic was widely felt by commentators to be against the spirit of the game there was no legal stipulation against it. Ironically, Pratt was on the field due to a genuinely serious injury to Simon Jones, which has kept him out of international cricket since.
'''Day Four'''
[[Image:Strauss dismissal.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Andrew Strauss plays forward to Shane Warne with Michael Clarke waiting to take the catch.]]
[[Image:Trent Bridge Ashes scoreboard, 28 Aug 2005.jpg|200px|thumb|right|England fans celebrate, with the hosts needing four runs to win]]
Day Four began in earnest with [[Michael Clarke (cricketer)|Michael Clarke]] and [[Simon Katich]] continuing their partnership from the previous day. However, Katich had already twice flirted with dismissal, saved only by chance both times. In the words of BBC cricket commentator [[Henry Blofeld]], "It's very much a game of chess - white-flannelled figures on green grass." The English and the Australians proceeded into a cold war for a good part of the morning, with England attempting to frustrate the Australian batting, but with the latter refusing to take the bait. England's lead slowly evaporated without a wicket falling, but [[Matthew Hoggard]]'s taking of Clarke's and then [[Adam Gilchrist]]'s scalps on either side of the lunch break swung the initiative back into England's hands.
The injury to [[Simon Jones (cricketer)|Simon Jones]] became somewhat obvious as the pacers struggled to capture the magic that Jones had created the previous day that had forced Australia to follow on. Despite this, the Australian run rate remained low as both sides stared each other down. Mistakes by [[Geraint Jones]] and [[Kevin Pietersen]] were quickly nullified by the dismissal of Warne for 45 and Kasprowicz for 19, and after a few overs' resistance Tait was [[bowled]] middle [[stump (cricket)|stump]] for 4, leaving 129 for the English to chase after tea.
England then proceeded to send the game into a nailbiter — English wickets fell quickly as [[Shane Warne]] took four wickets (including those of [[Marcus Trescothick]] (27), [[Michael Vaughan]] (0) and [[Andrew Strauss]] (23)). [[Brett Lee]] dismissed [[Ian Bell (cricketer)|Ian Bell]] (3) and at 57 for 4 England were in trouble. [[Andrew Flintoff]] (26) and [[Kevin Pietersen]] (23) then steadied the ship with an invaluable partnership of 46 before both fell in quick succession to Lee. Despite [[Geraint Jones]] (3) being dismissed cheaply, the partnership of [[Ashley Giles]] (7) and [[Matthew Hoggard]] (8) guided the English home. [[Man of the match]] honours went to [[Andrew Flintoff]], but more importantly this gave the English a crucial 2–1 edge heading back to London for the fifth and final Test, ensuring that they could not lose the series. However, with the Ashes going to Australia in the event of a drawn series, there was still all to play for at [[The Oval]].
====Final Test: England v Australia (8-12 September)====
{| width="100%" style="background: #EBF5FF"
|-
| width="15%" valign="top" rowspan="2" | [[Image:Flag of England.svg|20px]] '''[[English cricket team|England]]'''
| width="18%" | '''373'''
| width="12%" | &
| width="20%" | '''335'''
| width="35%" | '''Match Drawn; ENGLAND won series 2-1''' <ref>[http://usa.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005/AUS_IN_ENG/SCORECARDS/AUS_ENG_T5_08-12SEP2005.html Fifth test scorecard], [[Cricinfo]], retrieved [[27 November]] [[2006]].</ref>
|-
| style="font-size: 85%;" valign="top" |
[[Andrew Strauss|AJ Strauss]] 129<br>
[[Shane Warne|SK Warne]] 6/122
|
| valign="top" style="font-size: 85%;" |
[[Kevin Pietersen|KP Pietersen]] 158<br>
[[Shane Warne|SK Warne]] 6/124
| valign="top" style="font-size: 85%;" rowspan="3" |
[[The Oval]], [[London]], [[England]]<br>
Umpires: [[Billy Bowden|BF Bowden]] ([[New Zealand|NZ]]) and [[Rudi Koertzen|RE Koertzen]] ([[South Africa|SA]])<br>
Man of the Match: [[Kevin Pietersen|KP Pietersen]] ([[England|Eng]])<br>
Men of the Series: [[Andrew Flintoff|A Flintoff]] ([[England|Eng]]), [[Shane Warne|SK Warne]] ([[Australia|Aus]])<br>
Compton-Miller Award: [[Andrew Flintoff|A Flintoff]] ([[England|Eng]])
|-
| valign="top" rowspan="2" | [[Image:Flag of Australia.svg|20px]] '''[[Australian cricket team|Australia]]'''
| '''367'''
|| &
|| '''4/0'''
|-
| style="font-size: 85%;" |
[[Matthew Hayden|ML Hayden]] 138<br>
[[Justin Langer|JL Langer]] 105<br>
[[Andrew Flintoff|A Flintoff]] 5/78
|
| valign="top" style="font-size: 85%;" |
|}
'''Team changes'''
Australia named [[Glenn McGrath]], recovered from an elbow injury, to replace [[Michael Kasprowicz]]. England's [[Simon Jones (cricketer)|Simon Jones]] did not recover from his ankle injury from the previous Test in time to be included in the England team, and was replaced after much speculation by all-rounder [[Paul Collingwood]], in preference to specialist fast bowler [[James Anderson (cricketer)|James Anderson]].
'''Day One'''
The final match to decide the fate of the legendary Ashes urn finally began, and the proverbial first blood was drawn by England as Michael Vaughan won his third [[toss (cricket)|toss]] of the series (much to the delight of the Brit Oval crowd). Vaughan elected to have his English side to bat first, and the English first innings got underway. [[Marcus Trescothick]] and [[Andrew Strauss]] added 82 for the first wicket, as England's batsmen looked to take on the Australians, but subtle spin variations bowled from [[Shane Warne]] yielded three wickets as England went to lunch on 115 for 3.
[[Shane Warne]] continued after lunch by taking the wicket of [[Kevin Pietersen]] for 14. [[Andrew Flintoff]] emerged to form a vital partnership of 143 with [[Andrew Strauss]], before to falling to [[Glenn McGrath]] for 72 an hour after tea. Strauss made his 2nd century of the series, before being dismissed by Shane Warne off an acrobatic catch by [[Simon Katich]]. The day ended with [[Geraint Jones]] and [[Ashley Giles]] at the crease, with England 319 for 7. Certain forecasts for London called for showers sometime during the weekend, which, it was thought, might wipe up to a day of action or more from the ledger.
'''Day Two'''
Day two began positively for the Australians, with [[Geraint Jones|Jones]] being bowled for 25 off Brett Lee, and [[Matthew Hoggard]] managing a meagre 2 before being dismissed by McGrath. However, Ashley Giles and [[Steve Harmison]] frustrated the Australians by taking the score past 370, before Warne trapped Giles lbw shortly before midday, leaving England all out for 373.
The Australian first innings got off to a solid start, with [[Justin Langer]] forging a 100 partnership with fellow opener [[Matthew Hayden]] — the first opening-partnership century of the series by the Australian cricket team. Langer played some blistering strokes off Giles' bowling in particular, but survived a sharp chance to [[Marcus Trescothick]] at first [[slip (cricket)|slip]]. The Australians were offered the light immediately after tea, despite the English protesting and wanting to bowl Giles. The Australians accepted it, and the light never improved, with light rain coming down later. Thus, the day concluded with Australia 112/0, 261 runs behind England.
'''Day Three'''
After a delay for wet field conditions, the third day began with a flurry of action, as both [[Justin Langer]] and [[Matthew Hayden]] had close calls with lbw appeals, which replays suggested should have been out, and shies at the stumps that just missed. However, no batsman was given out in the morning session, where only 14 overs of play was possible due to rain. Australia added 45 runs in that time.
After lunch Hayden and Langer continued their solid batting, frustrating the England bowlers, with Langer reaching his 22nd Test century. Shortly afterwards, England gained a minor victory as Harmison dismissed [[Justin Langer]], who departed to a rapturous ovation. [[Ricky Ponting]] should then have been dismissed for a bat-pad catch off Giles, but Bowden turned down the appeal. Hayden also achieved three-figure success later in the day - his first century for over a year, while [[Andrew Flintoff|Flintoff]]'s hostile and accurate bowling was rewarded with the wicket of [[Ricky Ponting]], caught at slip by [[Andrew Strauss|Strauss]]. With this wicket, [[Andrew Flintoff]] equalled [[Ian Botham]]'s hitherto unique achievement of 300 runs and 20 wickets in an Ashes series. Flintoff had a later appeal for a catch behind turned down by Rudi Koertzen, despite it hitting the bat.
The Australian batsmen once again ended the day early by accepting an offer of bad light, bringing a much-interrupted day to a close after only 45.4 overs. Thanks to dogged batting and at least four umpiring decisions in their favour on the third day, they finished 96 runs behind with eight wickets of their first innings intact.
'''Day Four'''
The fourth day started brightly for England, [[Damien Martyn]] hooking a short ball from Flintoff straight into the hands of [[Paul Collingwood|Collingwood]], in the third over of the day, having added only one to his overnight score of nine. Further wickets fell, with an excellent knock by [[Matthew Hayden]] been brought to an end by [[Andrew Flintoff]]. Flintoff continued with impetus and trapped [[Simon Katich]] lbw for 1, before [[Matthew Hoggard|Hoggard]] had [[Adam Gilchrist]] lbw with an [[inswinger]] at the stroke of lunch. Gilchrist, however, had added a quick 23 that could be vital, as Australia went into the pavilion 17 runs behind with four wickets in hand.
However, it only took six post-lunch overs for England to end the Australian effort. [[Geraint Jones]] dropped a catch off [[Michael Clarke (cricketer)|Michael Clarke]]'s bat, but it did not prove to be crucial, as Clarke was lbw to Hoggard in the next over. [[Shane Warne|Warne]] and [[Glenn McGrath|McGrath]] both went for ducks, caught off a mistimed hook and in the slips respectively. Finally Hoggard had [[Brett Lee]] (6) caught in the deep and Australia were bowled out for 367. Flintoff finished with five wickets, the second five-for of his career, while Hoggard's four for 97 was his best return of the series.
Thus England, who had expected to begin their second innings chasing a hundred runs or more, were actually leading by six as they took up their bats in mid-afternoon. Australia took a very quick wicket, that of Andrew Strauss, who was dismissed again by [[Shane Warne]], caught bat-and-pad by Katich for a solitary run. The wicket was Warne's 167th against England, equalling [[Dennis Lillee]]'s Ashes bowling record. 11 balls after this dismissal, umpires [[Rudi Koertzen]] and [[Billy Bowden]] judged it unfair to continue play due to inadequate light. One additional session of play was however subsequently possible, taking England to a 40-run lead without further loss, before poor light ended the day.
<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/4234498.stm Day four synopsis], [[BBC Sport]], retrieved [[27 November]] [[2006]].</ref>
'''Day Five'''
The fifth day began with the game still finely balanced. Ponting put his trust in his two proven wicket takers -- McGrath and Warne. England batted well for forty minutes, with Vaughan taking the game to the Australian bowlers, but McGrath produced two beautiful outswingers to dismiss him and Ian Bell (for a pair) with consecutive deliveries. The Australian charge was diminished by a couple of uncharacteristic dropped catches, but Warne and McGrath combined to take 4 wickets before lunch, leaving England 133 runs ahead with 5 wickets remaining.
The afternoon session was anchored by Pietersen, the beneficiary of three dropped catches, who scored his maiden Test century, with obdurate support from Collingwood and Giles. The session saw only two wickets fall, Collingwood was caught acrobatically by silly mid-off Ponting for 10, and Geraint Jones (1) decisively bowled when he was deceived by a rapid Tait delivery. Pietersen was finally dismissed for 158, a superlative innings including 15 fours and 7 sixes, while Ashley Giles added 59 and Steve Harmison was dismissed for a duck to bring Australia into bat with less than 19 overs remaining.
As the Australians began their innings, it was clear that not enough time remained for them to make up the 341 runs by which they trailed. Almost immediately they were offered the light; and having accepted it, both teams had to return to the dressing-rooms to wait for a formal finish. The situation became somewhat farcical. With the match effectively over, the crowd were eager for the Ashes to be presented to England, and the celebrations to begin. After a period of some uncertainty and confusion, at 18:17 BST umpires Koertzen and Bowden removed the bails and pulled up the stumps to signal the end of the match. With no result in this fifth and final Test, England took the series 2-1, regaining [[the Ashes]] for the first time since 1987.
[[Kevin Pietersen]], having scored his maiden Test century at a crucial point, was voted [[Man of the Match]] by [[Channel 4]] viewers. [[Andrew Flintoff]] was chosen by Australian coach [[John Buchanan (cricketer)|John Buchanan]] as English [[Man of the Series]] while English coach [[Duncan Fletcher]] selected [[Shane Warne]] as the Australian Man of the Series. The new [[Compton-Miller Award]] for the overall man of the series (as selected by each side's chairman of selectors [[Trevor Hohns]] and [[David Graveney]]) was also presented to Andrew Flintoff. Finally, the replica urn was presented to jubilant English skipper Michael Vaughan, thus ending the series in favour of the home side.
==Records==
===Individual records===
{|cellpadding=3
||Most runs||[[Kevin Pietersen]]||473 runs
|-
||Most wickets||[[Shane Warne]]||40 wickets
|-
||Most catches (excluding wicket keepers)||[[Matthew Hayden]]||10 catches
|-
||Highest individual innings||[[Michael Vaughan]]||166
|-
||Best innings bowling||[[Shane Warne]]||6/48
|-
||Highest match total||[[Michael Vaughan]]||180
|-
||Best match bowling||[[Shane Warne]]||12/246
|}
===Team records===
{|cellpadding=3
||Best Innings||England||477
|-
||Worst Innings||England||155
|-
||Tosses Won||England||3-2
|-
|}
===Other Records===
*[[Shane Warne]] became the all time leading wicket taker in The Ashes series having taken a total of 172.
**He also passed the 600 wicket mark having 623 by the end of the series.
*[[Glenn McGrath]] passed the 500 wicket milestone ending up with 518.
*[[Andrew Flintoff]] became the first Englishman to claim over 20 wickets and 400 runs (24 wickets and 402 runs) in a series.
==Post-Series==
===Post-match reactions===
Immediately following the final match, Her Majesty [[Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom|Queen Elizabeth II]] sent a congratulatory memo to Michael Vaughan and the team, saying: "My warmest congratulations to you, the England cricket team and all in the squad for the magnificent achievement of regaining the Ashes... both sides can take credit for giving us all such a wonderfully exciting and entertaining summer of cricket at its best." <ref>[http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page4431.asp The Queen's message to England cricket captain Michael Vaughan following his team's victory in the Ashes series, 12 September 2005], retrieved [[27 November]] [[2006]].</ref>
Political leaders like Prime Minister [[Tony Blair]], Conservative leader [[Michael Howard]] and Liberal Democrat leader [[Charles Kennedy]] also sent their congratulations, Blair stating that "By bringing the Ashes back after so long you have given cricket a huge boost and lit up the whole summer".
Howard added "... Vaughan, his team, and all involved, should be proud of this achievement and the manner in which they have played during this extraordinary summer of excitement and tension."
"England's victory is historic, and I send hearty congratulations to the team... It has been impossible not to get caught up by the excitement and sense of good will in the past few days," stated Kennedy.
On the other end of the ledger Australia's Prime Minister, [[John Howard]] (who was in New York for a UN summit and was given the bad news by an aide during a luncheon with the Asia Society) was gracious in his congratulations to England.
"Look, there's natural disappointment but it's a situation where you give credit to the team that won," Howard stated, noting that there would not be a national day of mourning. "They will no doubt celebrate and that will be difficult for some, but that's the nature of these contests and we should not take anything away from England...They played very well. It's the best team that England has had for a very long period of time."
===England team parade===
On Tuesday [[13 September]], England, along with their [[English women's cricket team|Women's Ashes winning counterparts]], were feted with a 90-minute bus tour from [[Mansion House, London|Mansion House]] to [[Trafalgar Square]], where they were greeted by tens of thousands of Londoners and cricket fans in a celebration of their momentous achievements (to the surprise of Hoggard, who expected "three men and a dog").
Thousands of people also lined the streets along the parade route as the two buses made their way to Trafalgar Square, as the team soaked up the feteing. While the rest of the team simply enjoyed the sights, 5th Test Man-of-the-Match Kevin Pietersen sprayed champagne from the bus onto joyous revelers on the street, while wicketkeeper Geraint Jones held onto a [[Dalek]] doll with the words "Australians exterminated" attached to it.
At Trafalgar Square, the crowd was treated to a victory celebration for both England teams, and before the ceremony closed the square broke into a rendition of "[[Jerusalem (hymn)|Jerusalem]]", which has become an unofficial hymn for the team during the 5th Test. Interviews were carried out with all members of the men's team and [[Clare Connor]], the captain of the women's team, by [[David Gower]] and [[Mark Nicholas]], while the ceremony was broadcast live in the UK on [[BBC One]], [[Channel 4]] and [[Sky Sports News]] and around the world. Afterwards, the side was entertained by the Prime Minister as guests of honour at [[10 Downing Street]], then returned the urn to its sacred home at Lord's Cricket Ground for safekeeping.
===Australian criticism===
Almost immediately criticism began in Australia; the ''[[Sydney Morning Herald]]'' immediately took issue with the fact that not only was captain Ricky Ponting outstrategised by his opposite number Vaughan, but the side in itself was too old and simply did not score the runs when they were needed. ''[[The Age]]'' of [[Melbourne]] criticised the team for opening their big mouths once too often, hitting at [[Australian cricket team|Australia's]] earlier whitewash boast. [[Psychological warfare]], ''The Age'' went on to state, is great when it works, but when it backfires those who are responsible ought to be brought to account.
Former fast bowler [[Dennis Lillee]] was particularly scathing. Writing in [[Perth, Western Australia|Perth's]] ''[[The West Australian]]'', he stated that all who perpetrated this "disaster" must be sacked, and Shane Warne be appointed the captain in place of Ponting (because of how Warne had delivered time and again in the series). Losing to other sides is not the end of the world, stated Lillee, but losing the Ashes is.
Former captain [[Steve Waugh]] defended the side, calling it "a very good side, a really experienced side. They will be disappointed but they will move on from it," he said, but also conceding that the selectors were likely to ponder a few changes given that only three of the [[Australian cricket team|Australia]] team at [[The Oval]] were aged under 30. "They'll have a couple of players in mind which they will bring in the side over the next couple of years,"
Along with Waugh, selector and former batsman [[David Boon]] defended their selections. "Sometimes you're going to have to make a hard decision to keep a subtle rotation going through so you don't have mass retirements...But you've also got to pick the best cricket team you possibly can to represent your country", he stated. "If we keep producing cricketers who are 25 plus, they're mature, they're ready to play, they've still got a seven or eight-year career, then we're doing OK."
===Ponting hits back, the axe falls===
Ponting was confronted by a large media pack shortly after his arrival at [[Sydney Airport]] and said he wasn't aware of [[Dennis Lillee|Lillee]]'s comments. "I'm not concerned about those things. As long as I am doing the right thing by everyone in my dressing room as the team and the coaching staff, well then that's all I can do... But as long as I am looking after the guys in my dressing room, then I'll be happy," Ponting stated, adding that he wished to remain captain.
Ponting also responded to Lillee's comments that [[Shane Warne]] should be captain, and that he made more decisions than Ponting during the series: "I like to talk to a lot of guys out on the field and use their ideas and thoughts. I'll go to Gilly ([[Adam Gilchrist]]) and even Matty Hayden, Justin Langer, Damien Martyn... The way I think is not going to be right 100 percent of the time, but that's the way I do it. Warne has got a cricket brain as good as anybody around. But I wouldn't agree [he was the pseudo captain]."
Regardless, when the Australian side for the [[Johnnie Walker]] [[ICC Super Series]] was announced, three members of the Ashes-losing side were dropped: [[Damien Martyn]] was retained only for the ODI squad, while [[Jason Gillespie]] and [[Michael Kasprowicz]] were dropped altogether. [[Brad Hodge]], [[Stuart MacGill]] and [[Shane Watson]] were added in their places. While [[Cricket Australia]] officials have assured that these omissions are not a signal that the Test careers of these three players are over, many experts say otherwise. Lillee once again called for the replacement of Ponting as captain with Warne after the squad announcement, however this was once again rejected.
===England's epilogue===
With [[English cricket team|England]]'s victory in the series, the top of the [[ICC Test Championship]] rankings ladder changed slightly as the English closed in on the top-ranked Aussies. In a [[British Broadcasting Corporation|BBC]] interview the week after the series, [[Simon Jones (cricketer)|Simon Jones]] claimed that the English should one day be regarded as the best, despite statistics and the Test Championship rankings speaking otherwise.
"The Ashes series was talked about so much. People were wondering if England could do it and [[Glenn McGrath]] said [[Australian cricket team|Australia]] would win 5-0, but we beat them 2-1 and could have been 3-1 up after [[Old Trafford (cricket)|Old Trafford]]," Jones told the BBC. "Australia are statistically the best side in the world, and rightly so. They've played so much great cricket over the past 10 years and built up an advantage on the points system... But I think that's changing and hopefully we will have the mantle one day."
Meanwhile, as [[Pakistan cricket team|Pakistan]] and [[Indian cricket team|India]] prepared for [[the Ashes]] keepers' visit in the winter, with the Pakistanis relishing the opportunity to test their mettle against the side that took down the Australians, Pakistan coach [[Bob Woolmer]] stated, "England have done well but they have still to create that aura of invincibility of the [[West Indian cricket team|West Indies]] of the 1970s and 80s and Australia recently. The side which does well in all three departments will win the series and we have to be very disciplined against England, who have quality batsmen and bowlers."
Following their performances in the series both [[Andrew Flintoff]] and [[Michael Vaughan]] were given the [[Freedom of the City]] in their home towns of [[Preston]] and [[Sheffield]].
On [[29 September]], the [[Royal Mail]] issued a set of four [[postage stamp|stamps]] commemorating the Ashes victory. The stamps cost 68p — which is, incidentally, the cost of sending first-class mail to Australia.
In the [[New Year Honours 2006|2006 New Year's Honours List]], the members of the England team were awarded the [[Order of the British Empire|MBE]],<ref>{{Cite web
| url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/4569600.stm
| title = England stars thrilled by honours
| author = [[BBC Sport]]
| date = 2005-12-31
| accessdate = 2007-02-15}}</ref> for their roles in the successful Ashes victory. There was some critical comment that the limited role of some did not warrant the honour.<ref name="AshesContro">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/england/6232577.stm ''Caborn defends 2005 Ashes honours''] [[BBC News]] retrieved [[July 14]] [[2007]]</ref>
However, after the following series in which Australia regained the Ashes in a 5-0 whitewash, the English public began to criticise the celebrations of the previous year. This issue also flared up during the test series when [[Shane Warne]] commented on [[Paul Collingwood]]'s MBE for scoring 17 runs during the 2005 series. Former England captain [[Geoff Boycott]] criticized the fact that the MBE had been awarded to the whole side when Warne, who had already taken over 500 wickets by then, had not been honoured.<ref>[http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/ci/content/story/275211.html ''England MBEs "a joke" claims Boycott''] CricInfo retrieved [[July 14]] [[2007]]</ref>
==Notes==
{{reflist}}
==References==
*[http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/ci/content/story/78412.html 1999 New Zealand Tour Article]
*[http://www.geocities.com/p_rance/TestCricketRecords.htm Principal Test Cricket Records]
*''Cricinfo''
*''The Times''
*''The Sun''
*''The Greatest Series DVD''
==External links==
{{Commons|:Category:The Ashes, 2005|2005 Ashes series}}
{{wikinews|England win the Ashes}}
*[http://www.bbc.co.uk/cricket BBC Cricket]
*[http://www.334notout.com/ashes2005/index.htm Ashes 2005 - 334notout]
*[http://sport.yahoo.com.au Yahoo! Sport Australia/New Zealand]
*[http://sport.yahoo.co.uk Yahoo! Sport UK/Ireland]
*[http://uk.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005/AUS_IN_ENG Wisden Cricinfo]
*[http://www.foxsports.com.au/cricket/ FOX SPORTS Australia Cricket section]
{{portalpar|Cricket}}
{{English cricket competitions in 2005}}
{{International cricket in 2005}}
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:0.5em auto; clear: both; text-align:center;"
|Preceded by:<br/>
'''[[2002-03 Ashes series|2002-03 in Australia]]'''
|[[List of Ashes series|Ashes series]]<br/>
'''2005 Ashes series'''
|Followed by:<br/>
'''[[2006-07 Ashes series|2006-07 in Australia]]'''
|}
{{Ashes Test series}}
[[Category:2005 English cricket season|Ashes]]
[[Category:The Ashes|2005]]
[[Category:2005 in Australia|Ashes series]]