- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Part 1 featured the second Test of the 2005 Ashes series in Edgbaston, which had controversially won by two runs. The subsequent three Tests – at Old Trafford (Manchester), Trent Bridge (Nottingham) and The Oval (London) – were equally enthralling.
2005 series
Rain, Ricky Ponting’s gutsy 156, and valiant Aussie tail-enders on the final, pulsating day saved Australia in the third Test at Old Trafford.
With skipper Michael Vaughan top scoring in the match with 166, England amassed 444. Australia replied with 302 (Shane Warne 90, Simon Jones 6 for 53) to trail by 142 runs.
England declared at 6 for 280 (Andrew Strauss 106).
Set a massive 422 to win, the Australians were never in the hunt. When Ponting was dismissed after a heroic century, the score stood at 9 for 354 with four overs still remaining.
And who should walk in but Glenn McGrath, the gangly fast bowler whose batting average was barely 4.
But he and fellow quickie Lee stood like boys on the burning deck, unbeaten and smiling, adding 17 defiant runs for the unbroken last wicket stand.
It was a heart-stopping draw and the series was still locked one-all.
England was on top for four-and-half days in the fourth Test at Trent Bridge, but the match had a twist in its tail, thanks to spin wizard Warne.
Andrew Flintoff smashed 102 off 132 balls, spraying fours galore and a six. It was his first Ashes century and England amassed 477.
Fast bowler Matthew Hoggard bowled with venom and Australia was soon 4 for 58. Simon Jones’ reverse swing earned him 5 for 44 and the visitors were forced to follow on 259 runs behind.
They performed better in the second innings to register 387, Michael Clarke (56) and Simon Katich (59) adding valuable runs.
A win target of 129 appeared easy for England but Lee’s pace and Warne’s spin wizardry made them panic as they lost 4 for 57 and were 7 for 116 when Hoggard joined Ashley Giles.
The tall ‘rabbits’ took England to a hair-raising, three-wicket win and a vital 2-1 series lead.
The final Test at The Oval was equally riveting as the previous three, but was drawn and England regained the Ashes after 16 years.
If only Kevin Pietersen was not dropped by Matthew Hayden when on zero, and by Warne when on 15, in the final Test! He went on to top score with 158.
What an enticing series of thrills and spills, and with so many ‘ifs and buts’. It reminded me of the poem by John Greenleaf Whittier (1807-1892):
Of all sad words of tongue or pen,
The saddest are these,
‘It might have been.’
Teenager Ashton Agar’s sensational Test debut
Nottingham, 2013
It was another Trent Bridge thriller and another narrow defeat for the tourists.
Peter Siddle bowled with accuracy to claim 5 for 50 and England was bowled out for 215.
With Anderson collecting five Aussie scalps, Australia was down for a count of nine, losing 9 for 117.
Then came the last man, teenager Ashton Agar, to bat. Chosen for his slow left-arm bowling, he changed the complexion of the game by adding 163 runs for the last wicket, with the dear departed Phil Hughes making a priceless unbeaten 81.
This remains a Test record for the tenth wicket.
Agar broke many Test records: highest score by a no. 11 batsman on debut and highest score by any no. 11 batsman, beating West Indies fast bowler Tino Best’s 95 against England in the Birmingham Test in 2012.
Agar played strokes that top-order batsmen would be proud of. Although he missed his hundred by a whisker it did not dampen his mood, as he picked up Alastair Cook as his maiden victim, becoming the first teenage Australian spinner to take a Test wicket.
Australia led by 65 runs.
England regained the momentum as Ian Bell scored a ton and Cook, Kevin Pietersen and Stuart Broad hit valuable fifties. Broad was lucky to be given not out by umpire Aleem Dar when he edged a ball and was caught.
Australian spectators have not forgotten this and boo Broad whenever he comes out to bat in Australia.
England was all out for 375, Siddle taking 3 for 85.
Challenged to score 311 runs, Australia was in trouble at 9 for 231. But another last wicket stand of 65 between Brad Haddin and fast bowler James Pattinson took them close to a thrilling win.
But Australia fell 14 runs short of their win target and lost the Ashes 0-3.
Agar played in the next Test at Lord’s, scored 2 and 16, took 0 for 44 and 0 for 98, and appears to be a forgotten man.
But he has youth on his side, being only 21. His last first-class appearance was in the Sheffield Shield final for Western Australia against Victoria when he scored 44 not out and took 3 for 100 off 44 overs, and 1 for 29 off 23 overs.
His best this year was against South Australia in Adelaide this February when he had a match haul of 10 wickets and scored 64 runs as well.
Will he come back to Test arena or remain a two-Test wonder?