First Test: England v Australia .2821.E2.80.9324 July.29 Test matches in England in 2005

1 first test: england v australia (21–24 july)

1.1 day one
1.2 day two
1.3 day three
1.4 day four
1.5 second test: england v australia (4–7 august)

1.5.1 day one
1.5.2 day two
1.5.3 day three
1.5.4 day four


1.6 third test: england v australia (11–15 august)

1.6.1 day one
1.6.2 day two
1.6.3 day three
1.6.4 day four
1.6.5 day five


1.7 fourth test: england v australia (25–28 august)

1.7.1 day one
1.7.2 day two
1.7.3 day three
1.7.4 day four


1.8 final test: england v australia (8–12 september)

1.8.1 team changes
1.8.2 day one
1.8.3 day two
1.8.4 day three
1.8.5 day four
1.8.6 day five

first test: england v australia (21–24 july)


australian run rate first innings.



english run rate first innings.


day one

a low-scoring first day of cricket @ lord s included 2 batting collapses, first australia , england got go @ batting before tea. ricky ponting won toss , chose bat, , after steve harmison had shaken opening batsmen on, hitting australia s batsmen bouncers, in particular 1 had justin langer on elbow, procession of wickets began. matthew hoggard inaccurate, swing under cloud suited him, , ball did on line swung between bat , pad smash matthew hayden s off stump. australia still scored quickly, helped aggressive field placings england, harmison got reward short , pacy bowling when ricky ponting edged him andrew strauss @ third slip 9. langer, had looked immaculate morning , taken on bowlers, next depart, michael vaughan getting reward bowling changes andrew flintoff lured langer expansive pull harmison @ square-leg. , when simon jones brought on in sixteenth over, got immediate reward, damien martyn gone 2. man came , went before lunch, michael clarke, , australia 5 down after first session of play.

adam gilchrist, simon katich , shane warne played part in getting australia past 100, scores in 20s, harmison – coming second spell – wrapped them variations in length along ever-reliant pace. finished 5 43, allowing glenn mcgrath stranded on 10 not out, , mcgrath take centre stage when england batted. survived 6 overs until tea, scoring ten runs, mcgrath, bowled usual accurate line , length , got odd ball move, reaped massive rewards. marcus trescothick fell first ball after tea, edging slip, , strauss fell in similar fashion 3 balls later. michael vaughan , ian bell shaken up, survived 6 overs – before mcgrath started torture again. both bowled, andrew flintoff, , england had lost 5 wickets 21 runs, 5 of front line batsmen out in single figures. however, kevin pietersen , geraint jones gave england glimmer of hope, pairing 58 before brett lee s reverse-swing old ball induced backward edge off jones bat adam gilchrist. ashley giles hit 2 quick boundaries, short pacy ball lee undid him, , england 92 7 overnight – needing 98 last 3 wickets level australia.

day two

england s difficulties continued in morning. despite mcgrath not getting swing, hoggard departed eight-ball duck, cutting delivery shane warne hayden in slips. throwing caution wind, pietersen launched himself natural game, taking twenty-one runs off 7 deliveries before being out caught damien martyn, splendid catch metres off ropes, england looked subside 130. however, in yet twist, simon jones , harmison fought streaky accumulation, pairing 33 – fifth-highest partnership of game far – reduce australia s lead 35 runs. england got start fielding, pietersen having flat throw @ stumps run out langer 6, hayden , ricky ponting rebuilt well.

in fact, entire top order apart langer batted high scores, clarke needed life it. pietersen dropped him on 21, australian score 139 3, , instead of england getting vital breakthrough clarke , martyn ran away it, hitting 155 in 34.3 overs. flintoff smashed corners, , figures read 84 runs in nineteen overs, england fought late in day – in frantic last ten overs, started inside-edge clarke off hoggard, australia lost 4 wickets 24 runs. however, australia had gained lead of 314 runs end of second day, , still had katich there on 10.

day three

four overs morning, ashley giles returned arguably said useful contribution of match, having brett lee run out 8. however, defensive jason gillespie proved difficult out england, harmison menacing him bouncers , yorkers not managing it, , quietly toiling jones got reward away-swinger crashed gillespie s off-stump – after having number of catches dropped, 1 simple 1 namesake geraint. glenn mcgrath , katich continued partnership of 43, england set world record 420 win.

they started positively, riding luck , favour umpires – number of lbw appeals turned down both before , after tea – strauss , trescothick paired 80 first wicket before strauss edged classic pace-man s short-ball lee bowler s waiting hands. vaughan got nicely off mark 4 second ball, however, suggesting england playing positively target – lee , warne kept pounding. trescothick departed 44, edging straight ball warne first slip – having taken him ten in previous on – , bell left hopelessly plumb ball didn t turn. when vaughan – had failed buy run off last 23 deliveries – bowled comprehensively lee, there hide england, , not unbeaten 42 pietersen see england stumps hide inevitable – england needed 301 last 5 wickets, world-class bowling attack @ other end.

day four

rain frustrated both australia , neutral fans on morning of fourth day, after 4 hours sun broke through , covers taken off. took ten overs australia wrap england s innings, mcgrath taking 4 of 5 wickets required , warne last – giles, hoggard, harmison , simon jones gone ducks – england add 24 runs, 22 of them pietersen left stranded on unbeaten 64 have test batting average of 121 after first match. (cricinfo scorecard)

second test: england v australia (4–7 august)

day one

the psychological battles before match saw australia planting many stories in press england being in trouble. england kept quieter, until before game stories appeared how edgbaston game decided @ toss: whichever side won choose bowl first , win. england s mind games paid dividends when ricky ponting did that, michael vaughan admitted if had won toss, d have batted, , match progressed, became clearer , clearer pitch take plenty of turn near end.

england took advantage of being inserted , came strongly, considering 239-run drubbing had received @ lord s couple of weeks earlier. australian bowlers smashed corners on first day as, first time in 493-test history, australia conceded more 400 runs in first day of test cricket. english mentality seemed to attack outset, , helped freak injury glenn mcgrath sustained before match. during warm-up (playing rugby), pace-man accidentally stood on cricket ball, tearing ankle ligaments. australia had field michael kasprowicz replacement, , on pitch inaccurate bowling punished, mcgrath s line , length surely have been useful.

instead, marcus trescothick made innumerable smashes off brett lee cover boundary. andrew strauss preferred jason gillespie runs, , 112-run opening partnership highest england in ashes series far year – indeed, second highest of series far, beaten damien martyn , michael clarke s 155 @ lord s. continued on fine form lord s, had made 80 in second innings, , jitters one-day series seemed have vanished mcgrath. admittedly, trescothick caught off no-ball on 32, few remembered crafted way 90 – being second out shortly after lunch, score 164 2, after 32.3 overs.

england lost both ian bell, continued relatively poor ashes series third successive single-figure score, , michael vaughan, pulled short gillespie delivery hands of lee, in space of next 5 overs, still pounded on. kevin pietersen, in second test match, hit ten fours , 1 six, , forged 103-run partnership in 105 balls andrew flintoff, turned match england s favour. flintoff s 68 scored quickly, including 5 sixes, , again lee got stick – taken 26 in 18 balls faced.

lee did 1 wicket, though, , australia have been forgiven thinking important. pietersen pulled simon katich 71, off 76 balls, , score on 342 7, england have extraordinary out of tail past 400. did – steve harmison smacked 2 fours , 6 in entertaining, if brief, 17, , simon jones stuck around matthew hoggard vital last-wicket partnership of 32, jones making 19 not out. shane warne got better of hoggard, england had made 407, in under 80 overs. australian openers took field last half-hour of day. however, heavy rain prevented ball being bowled on first day.

day two

however, quick scoring , first test result led many people believe australia come vengeance on second day of matcht. instead, steve harmison bowled maiden on first justin langer, , matthew hayden holed out harmison s new-ball partner matthew hoggard golden duck – first of hayden s career. dismissal set tone of innings. although ricky ponting , justin langer hit runs england had done, umpire s finger went twice more before lunch – ricky ponting swept opposing captain vaughan 61, , damien martyn run out taking risky single 20. once again, vaughan in action, hitting stumps throw mid-off. langer , michael clarke continued after lunch in same vein, again, couple of quick wickets – clarke edging quicker ball ashley giles behind , simon katich falling in same way andrew flintoff swung england s way. @ 208 5, australians struggling, partnership between langer , gilchrist saw them tea no further loss.

the pair looked close england s lead, again england bowlers intervened – time in shape of invisible man in england s attack, simon jones, got plenty of reverse swing , used trap langer yorker – gone 82, australia s highest score in innings. australia s tail – thought strengthened absence of mcgrath, dismissed single-figure scores, andrew flintoff taking 2 last men lbw 2 last balls, although there argument first dismissal.

however, england got 99-run lead , continued hack away @ australian bowlers before stumps. after trescothick , strauss had smashed boundaries @ against seamers, ponting brought on warne in seventh over, , warne broke through second ball of match – leg break came left-hander s stumps , broke them completely, , strauss bowled 6. nightwatchman matthew hoggard survived 4 balls end day – england still leading 124, 9 wickets in hand.

day three

the third day exhilarating spectators first two; total of seventeen wickets fell shane warne , andrew flintoff took centre stage in enthralling contest. first up, however, brett lee, shattered england 3 quick wickets – trescothick slashed @ wide delivery, skipper vaughan disappointed yet again bat failed cover stumps straight one, , hoggard naturally had go – edging hayden in slips 1.

england shaken, score @ 31 4, , ian bell , kevin pietersen @ crease. pietersen consider himself lucky survive, after suggestion had been caught first ball. survived, , went on make 20, given out off similar situation shane warne. 41-run partnership bell steadied things somewhat, , there hopes among england fans bell make first significant score against tourists. instead, fell 2 overs after pietersen, having given tiniest of edges gilchrist 21.

so, score @ 75 6, england once again needed big partnership, time flintoff , wicket-keeper geraint jones. pair saw england lunch, flintoff had suffered shoulder injury , looked in obvious pain. in first on after lunch, jones gave edge ponting – 7 down 101. giles batted responsibly, padding warne, felt need play @ one, hayden held relative ease. harmison came , went, facing 1 delivery, , simon jones , andrew flintoff see england challenging target.

that did. jones kept head, managing 12 runs in 42-minute stay @ crease streaky fours, while flintoff smacked lee everywhere. flintoff took runs off kasprowicz, 1 on yielding 20 runs england, including couple of no balls. @ 1 point during flintoff s innings, ponting had 9 men on boundary, seen in cricket. 1 6 hit flintoff landed on top of stands. flintoff ended 73 – man pass 25 england – before being bowled warne. warne finished stunning figures of 6 46 23.1 overs, having bowled unchanged seventh on till end – but, luck , australia s batsmen have it, failure flintoff out earlier crucial.

matthew hayden , justin langer started positively, taking runs off occasional bad balls served harmison, hoggard , giles, , before noticed, had racked 47 no loss, , on way chasing target of 282. then, flintoff came in bowl first over. ball hurled down pitch, , swung enough deceive australian batsmen – flintoff got langer , ponting out in same over, , australia struggling again, score on 48 2.

a few overs of relative calm followed, hayden forging runs martyn never looking assured, , dismissal, came in on australia had looked on top. however, simon jones got last laugh on hayden – later reprimanded icc celebrations. england kept muscling on, , despite never playing on top of game got 4 more wickets before scheduled close of play. giles got 2 of those, dismissing katich , gilchrist, , inswinging ball flintoff took care of gillespie, trapped lbw.

an half-hour of play allowed, result nearing, warne , clarke defied english. warne lucky on more 1 occasion, playing streaky shots have got him out, did smash giles 12 in 1 over. not out overnight – however, steve harmison, bowling third spell of day, brought third day s proceedings end slow delivery not read correctly clarke, missed ball bowled. england needed 2 wickets on fourth day – australia, however, needed 107 runs victory.

day four

on fourth day, australia defied predictions 45-run partnership between warne , lee, before warne forced onto stumps flintoff dismissed hit wicket. kasprowicz came in , supported lee well, fending off aggressive bowling flintoff , harmison. pair had england on foot victory target neared closer , closer, edging virtually everything. 3 win, , 3 results possible, harmison had kasprowicz caught behind, replays showing ball hit batsman s hand when off bat. if hand had been on bat, have been correct decision – stood, incorrect give him out. however, mattered little viewers, recognised difficult job of umpire. england victors – if in narrow way possible – , series alive. (cricinfo scorecard)

rather engaging in victory celebrations, immediate reaction of flintoff winning dismissal console despondent batsmen—a gesture commented upon indicative of sportsmanship , mutual respect between teams characterised series.

england s 2 run victory narrowest result in ashes cricket history (there have been 2 tests won margin of 3 runs). second narrowest run victory in test cricket history. (other narrow victories given here)

third test: england v australia (11–15 august)

day one

with series square after england s close win in second match @ edgbaston in birmingham, stakes of third test @ old trafford in manchester had risen significantly. day began england winning toss, , choosing bat first, giving shane warne chance become first man take 600 test wickets in england s first innings, , did against marcus trescothick mistimed sweep shot , caught behind australian wicket-keeper adam gilchrist, earning warne standing ovation old trafford crowd.

after naming unchanged line-up, england faced pairing of glenn mcgrath , brett lee. there doubts whether these play before match started, due injuries sustained earlier, both passed fitness tests. england s wickets fell slowly, many missed opportunity australia helping hosts run big first innings total. helped fruitful partnership between trescothick , michael vaughan, added 137 before trescothick dismissed after lunch. vaughan became first man in series century.

the frustrated australia team faced fearless england side challenged them @ every turn, , recovered nicely after dismissals of trescothick , vaughan, couldn t resist smacking full toss katich straight mcgrath @ boundary. vaughan dismissed after 166 runs, destined highest individual score in series. australia faced more defiant ian bell, had struggled in first 2 tests. picking vaughan left off after tea, bell, kevin pietersen , nightwatchman matthew hoggard closed out day england score 341 5.

day two

bell did not add overnight score, being given out caught behind in controversial circumstances, replays indicated did not make contact ball. following brief rain interval england lost 2 more wickets before lunch, andrew flintoff after scoring quick-fire 46 , geraint jones 42. after lunch australia dispatched remaining 2 wickets further 10 runs, bowling england out score of 444, glenn mcgrath finishing on worst-ever test figures of nought 86.

australia started innings tentatively matthew hoggard dropping low catch matthew hayden off own bowling. before tea australia lost first wicket hayden out caught @ short leg ashley giles first over. after tea australia lost couple of wickets, ricky ponting caught 7 , hayden given out lbw 34. gilchrist put on 30 before edging first ball of simon jones spell geraint jones.

this brought in michael clarke had been recuperating @ team hotel after damaging on first day. due injury, clarke needed hayden act runner. warne made inroads bat, @ edgbaston 4 days previously, clarke managed add 7 runs before being deceived slower ball simon jones. warne , jason gillespie saw day out warne finishing on 45 not out.

the day finished australia on 214 7, 230 behind , needing 31 runs avoid follow-on. score adjusted 210 overnight due umpire failing signal 4 byes.

day three

rain delayed start of play until 16:00 bst, , 8 overs possible before play again suspended, although further 6 overs bowled later on before yet more rain meant play abandoned day. australia had better of short day s play, adding 50 runs without loss pass follow-on target, although warne lucky survive on 2 occasions errors geraint jones: when warne had 55 missed relatively straightforward stumping opportunity, , on 68 dropped after edging ball flintoff. australia closed on 264 7, still 180 in arrears, england felt missed several opportunities put game beyond opponents.

day four

having been hampered rain-shortened day three, australians ready put more wood ball on day four, , did not disappoint. warne continued march towards maiden test century before holing out hook shot placed giles @ 90. simon jones mopped other 2 wickets bowl australia out 302, jones finishing innings career best figures of 6 53.

the english opening batsmen of andrew strauss , marcus trescothick began england s response, scoring 26 before lunch. after lunch, trescothick played on bowled after scoring 41 giving mcgrath first wicket of match. strauss put fine century, sixth 17 matches, scoring 106 before getting out caught. gilchrist demonstrated how difficult wicket-keeping missing 2 stumping opportunities remove bell , failing hold catch remove flintoff. bell capitalised on gilchrist s errors, partnering strauss 28 overs , recording well-deserved 65. geraint jones added swift 27 england more concerned scoring staying @ crease, , england declared on 280 give them spell @ australia in evening , chance of winning match next day. mcgrath recorded five-wicket haul in innings, expensive, giving away 115 runs. warne, despite bowling 25 overs, failed take wicket, recording figures of nought 74.

australia needed 423 win, record fourth innings total win match. australia saw out last 10 overs without losing wicket , put 24 runs, leaving 399.

day five

english hopes of win high, , 20,000 people locked out of stadium in addition 23,000 capacity crowd. australia started day needing 399 runs 98 overs if claim unlikely victory. day started poorly them langer falling 14 on seventh ball of day, nicking ball delivered matthew hoggard behind geraint jones. ponting narrowly survived being run out on , proved crucial in context of match momentum gradually swung in australia s direction. @ 1 point australia racked runs @ such rate win became real possibility. despite losing clarke , jason gillespie in quick succession send team 264 7, ponting battled on before succumbing harmison after 7 hours on crease record first australian century of series score of 156. enough earn man of match honours.

after dismissal of ponting, australia 354 9 4 overs remaining, , thrilling climax occurred england having real chance of snatching victory in similar fashion second test. unfancied pairing of brett lee , glenn mcgrath handled remaining 24 deliveries finish on 371 9, 52 short of victory sufficient draw game , leave series tied @ 1–1. (cricinfo scorecard)

fourth test: england v australia (25–28 august)

day one

glenn mcgrath once again ruled out due injury, time elbow, , australia dropped out-of-form jason gillespie, leaving them seam attack of brett lee, debutant shaun tait , michael kasprowicz. england, having been on top in last 2 tests, unchanged.

england won toss , chose bat, , got off flyer. boosted no-balls seamers — total of 18 before lunch — marcus trescothick , andrew strauss made hay quickly, , enjoyed batting on pitch gave bowlers no aid. recorded second 100-run opening partnership of series, before strauss freakishly dismissed for 35, sweeping shane warne onto boot , matthew hayden s waiting hands @ slip — wicket confirmed third umpire. michael vaughan continued on fine form old trafford, though, punishing bad balls brett lee go lunch score on 14. trescothick, meanwhile, rode luck, bowled off no-ball on 55, lee s displeasure. @ lunch england 129 for 1.

only 3.1 overs possible in afternoon session due rain. coming after tea, england lost 2 wickets shaun tait, used cloud cover effect , swung ball well. however, michael vaughan , kevin pietersen batted 67-run partnership, although each dropped once. towards end of day, ricky ponting brought himself on, , medium pace yielded wicket — of vaughan 58. overnight, match evenly poised england 229 for 4.

day two

australia dismissed pietersen @ beginning of morning s play, edging full oustwinger lee through wicket-keeper gilchrist. unbeaten century partnership andrew flintoff , geraint jones took england s score 344 for 5 @ lunch.

after lunch, pair continued score hour, , extended partnership 177 before flintoff lbw tait 102, first test century against australia. loss of flintoff did not deter english, jones continued hit runs through off side on way highest score against australians, making 85 before caught , bowled kasprowicz. next 2 wickets fell quickly, stubborn last-wicket partnership of 23 between matthew hoggard , simon jones — including incident ball hit stumps bails failed fall off — saw england 477 out @ tea.

in evening session, england s bowlers, matthew hoggard, managed find more swing australian bowlers had done, , ripped through australian top order. first 3 wickets fell in crucial period of 11 balls (although third, dismissed damien martyn lbw, debatable decision — television replays indicated ball might have hit bat before body). stumps australia had been reduced 99 for 5 complete excellent day england.

day three

simon katich , adam gilchrist decided attack best form of defence, adding 58 in 8.5 overs in morning, before england came take next 4 wickets addition of 18 runs, leaving australia perilously placed @ 175 for 9. simon jones main culprit, using swing effect removed katich , warne in successive balls, , had kasprowicz clean bowled. brett lee added 47 in 44 balls, including 3 huge sixes, take australia s score 218, before caught off simon jones s bowling give jones fifth wicket of innings. despite aggressive batting, australia therefore finished first innings 259 runs behind.

michael vaughan gambled, enforcing follow-on on visitors (the first time australia had followed on in 17 years). lunch, australia had reached 14 without loss in second innings, , powered on in afternoon session, losing matthew hayden , adding 100 more runs before tea. england, afternoon session worst of match — compound misery, simon jones showed signs of injury, , andrew strauss dropped justin langer on 38.

in evening session, england managed take 3 wickets, dropped catch , missed stumping. australia finished day still 37 runs in arrears 6 wickets still in hand. simon jones went off field during evening session ankle injury, , taken hospital ankle scan. while jones off field receiving attention, substitute fielder gary pratt ran out australian captain ricky ponting, verbally expressed displeasure @ england s use of subs players, umpires , administrators left field.

day four

day 4 began in earnest michael clarke , simon katich continuing partnership previous day. however, katich had twice flirted dismissal, saved chance both times. in words of bbc cricket commentator henry blofeld, s game of chess – white-flannelled figures on green grass. english , australians proceeded cold war part of morning, england attempting frustrate australian batting, latter refusing take bait. england s lead evaporated without wicket falling, matthew hoggard s taking of clarke s , adam gilchrist s scalps on either side of lunch break swung initiative england s hands.

the injury simon jones became obvious pacers struggled capture magic jones had created previous day had forced australia follow on. despite this, australian run rate remained low both sides stared each other down. mistakes geraint jones , kevin pietersen nullified dismissal of warne for 45 , kasprowicz for 19, , after few overs resistance tait bowled middle stump for 4, leaving 129 english chase after tea.

andrew strauss plays forward shane warne michael clarke waiting take catch.

england proceeded send game nailbiter — english wickets fell shane warne took 4 wickets (including of marcus trescothick (27), michael vaughan (0) , andrew strauss (23)). brett lee dismissed ian bell (3) , @ 57 for 4 england in trouble. andrew flintoff (26) , kevin pietersen (23) steadied ship invaluable partnership of 46 before both fell in quick succession lee. despite geraint jones (3) being dismissed cheaply, partnership of ashley giles (7) , matthew hoggard (8) guided english home. man of match honours went andrew flintoff, more importantly gave english crucial 2–1 edge heading london fifth , final test, ensuring not lose series. however, ashes going australia in event of drawn series, there still play @ oval.

(bbc scorecard)

ashes reactions public (last day)

final test: england v australia (8–12 september)

team changes

australia named glenn mcgrath, recovered elbow injury, replace michael kasprowicz. england s simon jones did not recover ankle injury previous test in time included in england team, , replaced after speculation all-rounder paul collingwood, in preference specialist fast bowler james anderson.

day one

the final match decide fate of legendary ashes urn began, , proverbial first blood drawn england michael vaughan won third toss of series (much delight of brit oval crowd). vaughan elected have english side bat first, , english first innings got underway. marcus trescothick , andrew strauss added 82 first wicket, england s batsmen looked take on australians, subtle spin variations bowled shane warne yielded 3 wickets england went lunch on 115 3.

shane warne continued after lunch taking wicket of kevin pietersen 14. andrew flintoff emerged form vital partnership of 143 andrew strauss, before falling glenn mcgrath 72 hour after tea. strauss made 2nd century of series, before being dismissed shane warne off acrobatic catch simon katich. day ended geraint jones , ashley giles @ crease, england 319 7. forecasts london called showers sometime during weekend, which, thought, might wipe day of action or more ledger.

day two

day 2 began positively australians, jones being bowled 25 off brett lee, , matthew hoggard managing meagre 2 before being dismissed mcgrath. however, ashley giles , steve harmison frustrated australians taking score past 370, before warne trapped giles lbw shortly before midday, leaving england out 373.

the australian first innings got off solid start, justin langer forging 100 partnership fellow opener matthew hayden — first opening-partnership century of series australian cricket team. langer played blistering strokes off giles bowling in particular, survived sharp chance marcus trescothick @ first slip. australians offered light after tea, despite english protesting , wanting bowl giles. australians accepted it, , light never improved, light rain coming down later. thus, day concluded australia 112/0, 261 runs behind england.

day three

after delay wet field conditions, third day began flurry of action, both justin langer , matthew hayden had close calls lbw appeals, replays suggested should have been out, , shies @ stumps missed. however, no batsman given out in morning session, 14 overs of play possible due rain. australia added 45 runs in time.

after lunch hayden , langer continued solid batting, frustrating england bowlers, langer reaching 22nd test century. shortly afterwards, england gained minor victory harmison dismissed justin langer, departed rapturous ovation. ricky ponting should have been dismissed bat-pad catch off giles, bowden turned down appeal. hayden achieved three-figure success later in day, while flintoff s hostile , accurate bowling rewarded wicket of ricky ponting, caught @ slip strauss. wicket, andrew flintoff equalled ian botham s hitherto unique achievement of 300 runs , 20 wickets in ashes series. flintoff had later appeal catch behind turned down rudi koertzen, despite hitting bat.

the australian batsmen once again ended day accepting offer of bad light, bringing much-interrupted day close after 45.4 overs. dogged batting , @ least 4 umpiring decisions in favour on third day, finished 96 runs behind 8 wickets of first innings intact.

day four

the fourth day started brightly england, damien martyn hooking short ball flintoff straight hands of collingwood, in third on of day, having added 1 overnight score of nine. further wickets fell, excellent knock matthew hayden been brought end andrew flintoff. flintoff continued impetus , trapped simon katich lbw 1, before hoggard had adam gilchrist lbw inswinger @ stroke of lunch. gilchrist, however, had added quick 23 vital, australia went pavilion 17 runs behind 4 wickets in hand.

however, took 6 post-lunch overs england end australian effort. geraint jones dropped catch off michael clarke s bat, did not prove crucial, clarke lbw hoggard in next over. warne , mcgrath both went ducks, caught off mistimed hook , in slips respectively. hoggard had brett lee (6) caught in deep , australia bowled out 367. flintoff finished 5 wickets, second five-for of career, while hoggard s 4 97 best return of series.

thus england, had expected begin second innings chasing hundred runs or more, leading 6 took bats in mid-afternoon. australia took quick wicket, of andrew strauss, dismissed again shane warne, caught bat-and-pad katich solitary run. wicket warne s 167th against england, equalling dennis lillee s ashes bowling record. 11 balls after dismissal, umpires rudi koertzen , billy bowden judged unfair continue play due inadequate light. 1 additional session of play subsequently possible, taking england 40-run lead without further loss, before poor light ended day.

bbc day 4 synopsis

day five

the fifth day began game still finely balanced. ponting put trust in 2 proven wicket takers – mcgrath , warne. england batted forty minutes, vaughan taking game australian bowlers, mcgrath produced 2 beautiful outswingers dismiss him , ian bell consecutive deliveries. australian charge diminished couple of uncharacteristic dropped catches, warne , mcgrath combined take 4 wickets before lunch, leaving england 133 runs ahead 5 wickets remaining.

the afternoon session anchored pietersen, beneficiary of 3 dropped catches, scored maiden test century, obdurate support collingwood , giles. session saw 2 wickets fall, collingwood caught acrobatically silly mid-off ponting 10, , geraint jones (1) decisively bowled when deceived rapid tait delivery. pietersen dismissed 158, superlative innings including 15 fours , 7 sixes, while ashley giles added 59 , steve harmison dismissed duck bring australia bat less 19 overs remaining.

as australians began innings, clear not enough time remained them make 341 runs trailed. offered light; , having accepted it, both teams had return dressing-rooms wait formal finish. situation became farcical. match over, crowd eager ashes presented england, , celebrations begin. after period of uncertainty , confusion, @ 18:17 bst umpires koertzen , bowden removed bails , pulled stumps signal end of match. no result in fifth , final test, england took series 2–1, regaining ashes first time since 1987.

kevin pietersen, having scored maiden test century @ crucial point, voted man of match channel 4 viewers. andrew flintoff chosen australian coach john buchanan english man of series while english coach duncan fletcher selected shane warne australian man of series. new compton-miller award overall man of series (as selected each side s chairman of selectors trevor hohns , david graveney) presented andrew flintoff. finally, replica urn presented jubilant english skipper michael vaughan, ending series in favour of home side.

the next series, scheduled 2006–2007, played in australia england defending ashes.

(cricinfo scorecard)