Hail Ashes

What a series we‘ve had so far, the series precariously poised at 1-1 , it has been one of the most closely contested Test Series ever. What excitement!! What Passion!! What Drama!!!! Oh yes, you’re right, I am talking about the Ashes 2005.

Talks about this Ashes , the mother of all battles , began almost a year back , with people saying that the side put up by England was the best ever against Australia in recent times.The bowling looked sharp and potent, thanks to the genuine pace of Harmison and Flintoff. , the pace and reverse swing of Simon Jones , the swing of Matthew Hoggard and the guiles of the veteran spinner Ashley Giles. The batting wasn’t doing any badly either. Marcus Trescothick and Michael Vaughan, the two stalwarts of the English were in good form and Andrew Flintoff was getting better and better with every match. The English also discovered a good batsman in their keeper Geraint Jones to their advantage. Tongues wagged on both the sides, the media contributing enormously to the hype of the series, both the captains trying to put pressure on each other, the regular mind games being played with a renewed intensity. The stage was set .It was the Ashes 2005.

Things started getting hot as the time drew to a close. The English side found a swashbuckler in Kevin Pietersen who refused to be dominated even by the mighty Australians. England thrashed Australia in a 20 – 20 game with Pietersen scoring 34 runs in 18 balls. In their very next match Australia suffered a defeat against Somerset led by an inspired Graeme Smith assisted by the Sri Lankan Southpaw Sanath Jayasuriya. What with one thing and another ,things looked ominous for Australia .As if there was any need to confirm it ,the Natwest 2005 final, which was a humdinger of a match ended in a thrilling tie, England giving Australia a run for their money and almost snatching it right off them. Kevin Pietersen continuing his dazzling run scoring 139 runs in the series at a strike rate of 107.75, a testimony to his dominant personality.

The First test was just like any other match of a regular Ashes series. Australia beating England hands down in just 3 days by 239 runs , McGrath claiming 9 English Scalps... Pietersen again defied Australia in his maiden Test Match with a 50 in each innings .Harmison bowled well to knock over 8 Australians in the match. Apart from these two performances Englishmen were taken to the cleaners by the Australians. Momentum could easily have shifted back to the Australians, but it was not to be.

The second test at Edgbaston was an edge-of-the-seat thriller. You blink once and u missed something. It was Out and Out Andrew Flintoff’s match. He bowled , batted and fielded magnificently .The Ground was like a Greek war field with Gods favoring both the sides at different times and Flintoff was like the God’s favorite son .He could do nothing wrong on the cricket field or so it seemed. Australia looked sheepish as the giant Andrew Flintoff browbeat them into submission. Pieterson too maimed Australia in his own way. The absence of Glenn McGrath was telling, as the rate at which the Englishmen scored their runs was Staggering. Ashley Giles too getting into his rhythm sealed the coffin for Australia. This was one of the Greatest Test matches ever to have been played. The English rejoiced as the ghastly bombings were forgotten for the moment. The English Empire where the sun never used to set saw sunrise after 18 years and the people had more reason than just blind hope to believe that the Urn would return to England..

The third test started with England taking the initial glories despite the return of Glenn McGrath . The Spin Wizard Shane Warne reached the magic figure of 600 Test Wickets, the first person to do so and the whole world cheered for the Champion Leg Spinner. It was all the more Special because of the fact that his very first Test wicket came on the same ground. England’s skipper soon came to the party with a scintillating 162 during the course of which he looked his old elegant self again, driving and dismissing Brett Lee with utter disdain and dancing down the track effectively, much to the chagrin of Shane Warne. England amassed a huge score of 444 and dismissed Australia for 302, Simon Jones taking 6 wickets. Australia ’s 302 was mainly due to the lusty blows Shane Warne delivered late in the innings .In their Second Innings England again scored very fast to make 280 before declaring with a lead of 422 runs. Strauss made a gritty century after being hit initially by a Brett Lee bouncer on the ear. The stage was set for England‘s second straight victory against Australia. England tried all the tricks in the trade and would have come out the winner but for the skipper punter Ponting’s determined 156. Flintoff bowled his heart out dismissing the batsmen at the other end while Ponting held the fort at his end.Ponting was dismissed by Harmison when there were three overs remaining to be bowled in the day and one wicket between England and yet another famous victory . McGrath joined Brett Lee in the middle and both the batsman after some close calls survived the day to end the Test Match in a draw.

In this epic battle between two Champion sides who have given their utmost for their countries it was only fitting that the match end in a draw. No team deserved to lose after the performance it put up. It has been a roller coaster ride for both the teams and the audiences with fortunes fluctuating like a pendulum between the sides .It has been a treat to the senses to have viewed a contest so spectacular and spell bounding. Deservedly the series lies open at 1 -1, the Urn beckoning the players to fight on ………………

The Ashes 2005 fourth test match starts on August the 25 th at the Oval.

HAIL ASHES!!!!!