Staff Writer Meera Mohanraj revisits the thrilling moments of the 2005 Ashes series, twenty years on, as the 2025 contest approaches.
There are few sporting rivalries more enduring and ferocious than England versus Australia in Test match cricket. The Ashes is a contest in which the best raise their game and produce career-defining performances amidst national scrutiny.
Over the course of a five-Test series, legacies are written, teams immortalised and fans entranced, and no confrontation better epitomised this than that of 2005. Twenty years on and still regarded as one of the greatest series in the history of the sport, the recent nostalgic media coverage has fans reminiscing fondly whilst cautiously looking ahead to the Ashes at the end of this year.
Underdogs at Edgbaston
The England team of 2005 entered as underdogs to the formidable Australians, the best in the world at the time and winners of the previous eight Ashes series. Existing tensions were heightened when prolific Australian fast bowler Glenn McGrath hinted in a press conference that his team would be on the winning side of a 5–0 whitewash, a recurring prediction in years to come. Despite their earned confidence, it would not prove so straightforward.
It is ironic that in a team game, the most memorable moments are often individual heroics. In the 2005 series, there were numerous instances wherein one felt as though the series was on the line with every ball bowled. The momentum of a match was perpetually at risk of being single-handedly shifted, and during the second Test at Edgbaston, Andrew Flintoff made his own momentum.
The twelfth over of the fourth innings was magic. With the second ball of his spell, he bowled Justin Langer, and with the seventh (courtesy of a no-ball), Flintoff sent Ricky Ponting back to the dressing room for a duck. A scintillating leg cutter dismissed the opposing captain and depleted the Australians from 47–0 to 48–2, a pivotal moment in a Test that would forever be etched into Ashes folklore. England scraped an agonisingly narrow victory of 2 runs, a win which would prove to be the catalyst for the remarkable next few matches.
England Takes Control
Test cricket at its most intense has a way of riveting fans in the ostensibly uneventful moments. A dot ball or a quick single in the pursuit of a draw will have audiences stunned still, unable to leave their seats for fear of missing the next delivery. Such was the case at the third Test in Old Trafford.
Ponting later described his knock of 156 in the second innings as his best made score despite not contributing to a win. A century of perseverance almost saw out the game until his dismissal four overs before the close of play, though the Australian tenth wicket partnership hung on to the bitter end and the match was drawn, the series 1–1.
By the time the Fourth Test at Trent Bridge began, England were supreme. Ponting’s most notable involvement here was a run out from substitute fielder Gary Pratt, who displayed spectacular fielding prowess with a direct hit that ensured England were on the trajectory to success and gave Pratt cult hero status, a moment still referenced to this day.
In the final Test at the Oval, England’s batsmen were forthright, and Kevin Pietersen accrued a formidable score of 158 in the third innings, which cemented him as the highest individual run-scorer of the series (473 total). Despite Shane Warne’s immense efforts, taking twelve wickets in the match, the rest of the Australian bowling attack seemed all out of answers for the English resilience. However, rain delays on days 2 and 3, followed by poor light on day 4, did not leave time for the Australians to bat their second innings; thus, the match was drawn and the series ended 2–1. England reclaimed the urn after an eighteen-year drought and created a summer that swept up the nation in cricket fever, all captivated by the intensity and skill synonymous with the Ashes.
The Legacy of 2005 and Looking Ahead
2005 undoubtedly reignited a fervour for Test match cricket at a crucial juncture, whereby the shorter formats of the game were beginning to take precedence. The series saw a 52% increase in TV viewings from the previous Ashes because high stakes and high drama created a spectacle that remains unmatched. This was also able to resonate so widely because it was the last free-to-air Ashes series with coverage on Channel 4. After the series, Sky Sports promptly secured exclusive rights to cover Test cricket.
That being said, the upcoming Ashes series at the end of this year, running from 21 November to 8 January, poses an intriguing event. Australia have been custodians of the urn since the 2017-18 tour, but there is hope for England. The recent gripping series against India has shown that in the pressure points of a match, this team is equipped with the tenacity to prevail. The Bazball philosophy implemented by head coach Brendon McCullum, one characterised by positive aggression, has been refined and is proving effective. Whilst entertaining the masses, they are most importantly generating results.
Should the upcoming Ashes be half as enthralling as 2005, Australian and English fans should brace, and the neutral be ready for an exhilarating ride.
