For all the relief and excitement that swept across England – and Wales – following the home side’s great escape in Cardiff, history says it may only have delayed the inevitable.
Seldom in Tests does a team that scrapes out a desperate draw manage to regroup and win the subsequent match.
It is far more common the side falling narrowly short, having demonstrated overall superiority over the course of the five days, will finish off better when they next meet.
Exhibit A is the 2005 Old Trafford Test, a match never far from the thoughts of most observers as they watched the final day unfold at Sophia Gardens.
England were denied on the final day in `05 by a combination of Ricky Ponting’s brilliance and Glenn McGrath’s determination to stick around with Brett Lee at the death – umpire Billy Bowden’s denial of a very valid lbw appeal by Steve Harmison against Lee also helped.
But Australia’s celebration on evading the noose proved empty in the end, as England duly celebrated at Trent Bridge.
Adam Gilchrist observed his side’s celebrations were in fact quite unsettling: they had only managed to draw, after all.
“When we hung in for the draw we were leaping all over the place, hugging and cheering, fists clenched,” Gilchrist wrote in his autobiography, True Colours.
“It was telling to see us react like that, as if we’d won, when it was only a draw.”
There are numerous other examples of honourable draws not followed up by victories.
The 1998-99 Ashes series began with a draw at the Gabba after rain washed away with final session with Stuart MacGill poised to bowl the home side to victory – four English wickets remained.
Captain Alec Stewart was straight-faced when he insisted his tail would have held on in fine weather, but two Tests later he was waving the urn goodbye after heavy defeats at Perth and Adelaide.
In 1995, Stewart’s predecessor Mike Atherton played the innings of his life, 185no in 643 minutes, to help England get out of the Johannesburg Test against South Africa. Few rearguards have been so lauded, but the Proteas won the series.
Allan Border and Terry Alderman combined to clinch a dramatic draw against the West Indies at Trinidad in 1984, one of a handful of proud moments during Kim Hughes’ tortured captaincy stint.
At 0-0 after two Tests, the Australians were unable to take advantage of their escape, sliding to a 3-0 series defeat during which the mighty West Indies did not lose a single second-innings wicket.
Of course, the result at Cardiff provided definite plusses for England in keeping the series all square and also preventing the fragile confidence of Andrew Strauss’ side from being punctured completely.
However any notion that it is Australia under pressure having failed to drive home their advantage is spurious indeed.
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