As Australia gets ready to play the first Test at Cardiff on July 8, I remember some classic Ashes tussles in England in the last 40 years. Two thrillers will be revisited today and a few more in Part 2.
From nadir to zenith for Botham (Leeds, 1981)
What a match, what a sensational turnaround at Headingley.
Ian Botham had reached his nadir both as captain (four defeats, eight draws and no wins in his 12-match reign) and as a batsman (a pair of ducks in his previous Test).
He was retained as player but replaced by Mike Brearley as leader. This was just the spur Botham needed.
Australia started nonchalantly, scoring 401 (John Dyson 102, skipper Kim Hughes 89, Botham taking 6 for 95).
England collapsed for 174, Botham top-scoring with 50 and Dennis Lillee taking 4 for 49. Forced to follow-on, England was gasping for breath at 7 for 135, still 92 runs needed to avoid an innings defeat.
Unbowed, Botham added 117 and 67 runs in partnerships with tail-enders Graham Dilley (56) and Chris Old (29). ‘Beefy’ remained unbeaten on 149 as England totalled 356. His century had come off only 87 balls.
He became only the second player after Australia’s Jack Gregory to score a century and take five wickets in an Ashes Test.
Set only 130 to win, Australia was cruising at 1 for 56. Then the tall, lanky Bob Willis (8 for 43) bowled with fire and Hughes’ men crumbled for 111 to lose the unlosable Test by 18 runs.
Lee and ‘Kasper’ fight until the end (Birmingham, 2005)
The 2005 series in England was one of the most exciting in the annals of Test cricket.
When Australia crushed England by 239 runs in the first Test at Lord’s, it appeared they would win the series 5-0. But the last four Tests were spine-chillers, as cricket lovers in Australia sat in front of their television sets in August and September until 3am, heading to work the next morning looking like zombies.
England won the second Test in Edgbaston in Birmingham by a hair’s breadth to level the series.
Two factors contributed to this turnaround: Glenn McGrath’s freak accident, slipping on a ball during net practice on the eve of the match, and skipper Ricky Ponting’s weird decision to send England in to bat on a good batting pitch after winning the toss.
England openers Marcus Trescothick and Andrew Strauss put on a century partnership, and England amassed 407. Australia replied with 308 (Justin Langer 82, Ponting 61) to trail by 99 runs.
Express fast bowler Brett Lee grabbed 4 for 82 and Shane Warne showed his spin magic to claim 6 for 46 and England could make only 182.
Needing 282 runs to win, Australia was eight down for 175 with only tail-enders remaining. But Warne and Lee put on 45 runs for the ninth wicket.
Then Lee and Michael Kasprowicz added 59 heart-stopping runs for the last wicket.
With only three runs needed for an incredible victory, ‘Kasper’ was controversially given out caught behind, and England won by two runs.
As Kasper told me recently, “The ball hit my right hand glove which had released the bat. The hand was not holding the bat when struck by the ball and therefore, as per the rules, it is not out. It was a very disappointing moment for me and my teammates.
“It was cruel, to come so close and still lose. Everyone in the team felt dejected as they reflected on how they could have done better. Although devastated, I had the satisfaction that I had done my best.”
England’s all-rounder Andrew Flintoff was the hero and man of the match, belting an Ashes record of 9 sixes on his way to scoring 68 and 73, as well as taking 3 for 52 and 4 for 79. He reverse-swung the ball at ferocious pace and often had Ponting in trouble.
“Has there been a greater Test?” Scyld Berry asked in The Wisden Cricketer. He bracketed it with the Brisbane tied Test between Australia and the West Indies in 1960-61 as the most memorable ever.
Asked Gideon Haigh in his Ashes Diary, “Did it happen? Was I really there?”
More Ashes cliffhangers in 2005 and in 2013 will be featured in Part 2.
Kersi Meher-Homji
Guest
Spot on, Paul D, I am going to feature the first Test of the 2013 series at Trent bridge in Part 2. As also other 2005 thrillers. I agree, the last two Tests of the 1902 series were sensationally close with Vic Trumper becoming the first batsman to score a century before lunch on the first day of the Manchester Test which Australia won by three runs. This Sunday the 28th is the death centenary of the legendary Vic Trumper. The Australian Cricket Society is having a three-day celebration in Sydney on 26, 27 and 28 June. There will be talks by well-known historians as also by Paul Sheahan. If any Roarer(s) is / are interested, please ask the Roar editor for my e-mail address and I'll give them details. Perhaps it may be too late but no harm in trying.
Paul D
Roar Guru
I suppose it’s the nature of the beast that most of the Ashes thrillers in recent years in England have resulted in an England victory – I know you’re going to talk about the 1st test in the 2013 ashes in your next article, also a heartbreaking loss. I remember reading a wisden almanac when I was younger, edited by Vic Marks, where the 1902 ashes series came in for special mention – the 4th and 5th tests were both heart-stoppers, with Australia winning the former by 3 runs, and England winning the latter by 1 wicket. From all accounts, Victor Trumper batted with total freedom and dominance in the first innings of the 4th test, scoring a century at virtually a run a minute, while the 5th test saw that famous 4th innings knock from Gilbert Jessop, 104 in 77 minutes, that saw buses stopping outside the ground so people could watch from the roof. Real see-saw contests, with the outcomes shaped by some towering individual efforts. While it’s impossible to imagine what it would have been like, or the quality of the cricket, it’s comforting to know that there is a long history of close contests in the ashes – games like the above are part of the great tradition and rivalry that’s been created over the decades. Hopefully we get another close chapter written in the upcoming series.