How the 2005 Ashes series was won: 5 key moments - from Gary Pratt’s runout to Kevin Pietersen maiden Test ton

Ashes rivals England and Australia are gearing up to face off once again as the battle for one of cricket’s most famous prizes lies ahead.

It is 141 years since the famous old rivals first met in a test series as England claimed a 2-1 win down under in the first of eight series wins over the Aussies. A first win for Australia came in 1892 as they took the honours in a three-match clash.

However, few series have met the heights of what occurred in England during the late summer of 2005 as the hosts looked to reclaim the Ashes for the first time in 18 years. What followed would go down in history as the likes of Shane Warne, Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen produced some truly iconic moments.

NationalWorld takes a look at five golden memories of an outstanding series.

1. Harmison sets the tone of day one of the First Test

Despite looking to avoid a ninth straight Ashes series defeat, England’s confidence was at a high as their new-look side claimed series wins over the likes of the West Indies, South Africa and New Zealand in the 12 months prior to the 2005 meeting with Australia.

There was a feeling that taking the game to their visitors would be required and the clearest sign of their intention came on the first morning when the in-form Steve Harmison delivered a bouncer that struck Ricky Ponting and drew blood from the cheek of the Australia captain.

Speaking of the incident later in the year, the Durham pace bowler expressed some regret, saying: “That’s probably one of the biggest regrets I had from that whole series,” Harmison said. “As a bowler and as a person I am disappointed with myself about the way it came about. I didn’t realise the extent of the injury until I was back at my mark. By then it was too late. As much as I am a fast bowler, and the ball does come out of your hand at decent speeds and the ball does bounce and it tends to sting, nobody likes to see anybody get hurt. I respect the bloke for what he is.”

The incident played little influence in the outcome of the test as the Aussies eased to a win by 239 runs - but England had shown they would be no pushovers and had sent a very stern message towards Ponting and his players.

2. Flintoff’s gesture takes the headlines after dramatic Second Test

Perhaps the key moment from the second test should have been Glenn McGrath’s freak injury that robbed Australia of the services of one of England’s long-term tormentors.

On the morning of the first day, the Aussie quickie stepped on a stray ball as he prepared for his warm-up and ruptured two ligaments and damaged bone in his ankle. He would be replaced by Michael Kasprowicz, who would go on to play his part in possibly the most tense finale in the history of the Ashes.

For large parts of the test, England looked on their way to a simple win as Marcus Trescothick, Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff all hit first innings half-centuries to help their side post a total of 407. Flintoff and Ashley Giles took three wickets apiece to limit the Aussies to 308 before the visitors hit back in England’s second innings, skittling the hosts for just 182 with the mesmeric spin bowling of Shane Warne helping one of the world’s greatest ever cricketers take six wickets for just 46 runs.

Nerves were on edge as the Aussies slowly made their way towards the final 107 runs they needed to seal a dramatic win on the final day of what many consider to be one of the greatest test matches of all time. England delivered a somewhat fortunate blow when Warne trod on his own stumps and left Michael Vaughan’s men on the brink of restoring parity in the series.

There were chances to land the final blow but Brett Lee and Kasprowicz stood form and gradually eeked away at the required runs to earn what would have been a shock win in the circumstances. Flintoff almost had Kasprowicz caught by Simon Jones with just 14 required as the Welshman narrowly missed out on an awkward looking catch at third man.

With tension and nerves enveloping Edgbaston, the Aussies found themselves just one boundary from a victory - but they was to be a cruel twist as Steve Harmison’s bouncer struck Kasprowicz before looping up into the air and into the gloves of the grateful Geraint Jones. Pandemonium ensued as the vast majority of those inside the stadium roared in relief and delight in equal measures.

The brave Lee, marooned and alone on 43, slumped to the floor, but he was consoled by Flintoff, who delivered consoling words as he team-mates celebrated the most dramatic of wins. Whilst England had unquestionably taken the game to their visitors with an intense approach, there was still time for sportsmanship.

Speaking to the Guardian after the series, Lee revealed his admiration for Flintoff, describing the England all-rounder as ‘a truly superb athlete’.

He said: “If we had won that Test, I know we would have gone on to take the Ashes home. As it was no one expected us to get as close as we did to victory given the way the match had gone for us to that point. But close we got and, if not for Flintoff, who is a truly superb athlete, we probably would have got there. It just wasn’t to be.”

3. That Pratt run-out

After a dramatic draw in the Third Test at Old Trafford, all eyes went towards Trent Bridge and what was a make-or-break affair for England.

Lose and they would be unable to claim the Ashes, win and avoiding defeat in the final test of the series would see them secure the earn for the first time on home soil since 1985. A fine 102 from Andrew Flintoff put England on their way to an impressive first innings total of 477 and hopes of a home win was further enhanced when an inspired Simon Jones took five wickets for 44 runs to limit the Australians to just 218.

After enforcing the follow-on, home nerves were put on edge as the visitors made a solid start to their second innings - before a moment of controversy turned the tide England’s way. Sat on 155-3, with Ricky Ponting approaching a typically classy half-century, England substitute fielder Gary Pratt produced a fine pick up and found the Aussie captain’s stumps with a pinpoint throw. Short of reaching his crease, Ponting was run-out, but his suspicions over England’s use of sub fielders boiled over as he delivered a verbal volley to the home dressing room on his way off the pitch.

Speaking to Cricket Australia in 2020, Ponting gave an insight into why he has felt so hard done by during the incident: “We’d been watching them for two years beforehand and we knew what they were doing; they’d bowl an eight-over spell, go off the field for a while, come back and in time would be ready to bowl their next spell. I wasn’t comfortable with the way they were playing their cricket like that so I let the referee know and made sure I monitored it where I could.

“They would just bring their best fielders in from anywhere in the country. It wasn’t just their 12th man fielding, it wasn’t the big quick who they didn’t pick out there fielding. They had their best fielders from anywhere in the country doing their fielding for them. And it wasn’t unusual to have two or three (substitute) fielders on the field at the same time in that series. It was getting to all of us.”

England nervously picked off the 129 runs needed to win the test and that put them within sight of what would be a historic win.

4. KP goes nuts to secure a famous win!

Expectation had reached fever pitch by the time the Fifth and final test arrived with England standing on the brink of history. An Andrew Strauss century calmed any nerves during the first innings as Michael Vaughan’s men put a solid 373 on the board - but the Australian response was a ferocious one.

An opening stand of 185 between Justin Langer and Matthew Hayden showed the hosts that there was still work to do as both Aussie openers posted impressive centuries. Yet their solid foundations were not built upon as the underrated Matthew Hoggard and the talismanic Andrew Flintoff ripped through the visitors, taking nine of the ten wickets as they fell six runs short of England’s total.

It was a case of cometh the hour, cometh the man for Vaughan as the debated selection of Kevin Pietersen paid off in the second innings. Marcus Trescothick and Vaughan failed to build on solid starts and Andrew Strauss, Ian Bell and Flintoff all fell short of even reaching double figures. But after a nervy and tense start to his own time in the middle, Pietersen began to unleash, hitting 15 fours and seven sixes as he posted 158 in just 187 balls to take the game out of sight and play no small part in securing a stunning series win. Speaking in his autobiography released in 2014, match-winner Pietersen famously said: “I remember reading on the back of one of the papers that morning that England needed a hero. I decided that I was going to be that hero.”

An unexpected half-century from Ashley Giles saw England reach 335 all-out but just four balls were bowled in the final innings of the match as the umpires called time on the test, declaring a draw and setting off wild celebrations around The Oval.

5. The famous Downing Street visit

The celebrations at The Oval spilled into the following days and an invite to meet Prime Minster Tony Blair was extended to the victorious England team.

The arrival of the players was caught on camera and revealed a number of them were still feeling the effects of their celebrations during the previous night. Andrew Flintoff opened up on his state and the events inside Downing Street during an unexpected appearance in the Australian version of ‘I’m a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!’ in 2015, where his campmates included former Aussie cricketer Merv Hughes.

‘Freddie’ said: ““I was at Number 10 to see the Prime Minister after we beat Australia in 2005. We had a function in the garden. I went in the house looking for a toilet but then started wandering around the house. I found the Cabinet room, where all the meetings are. So I had a bottle of beer in my hand and I was sat in the Prime Minister’s chair with my feet on the table, slurping beer and holding a meeting.”

It had been quite the summer.