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It's time for the oldest cricket rivalry to resume once again as a new edition of the Ashes kickstarts at the Edgbaston Cricket Ground in Birmingham on Friday, June 16, with England and Australia fighting for the urn.
With the hosts refreshing their template in Test cricket under Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes, they will be seeking to start the new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle on the best possible note against their arch-rivals, who happen to be the reigning WTC champions.
Australia are also the holders of the Ashes, having handed a 4-0 drubbing to England back home in 2021-22. The last time the series was played on English soil, the spoils were shared 2-2 with Australia retaining the urn on account of being the holders.
Taking the lead at Edgbaston will be critical with both teams seeking to wrest an early advantage in their favor.
On the eve of the curtain-raiser, we look at three iconic Ashes Tests played at Edgbaston over the years.
#3 1st Test in 2019
The series opener of the 2019 Ashes was iconic in many ways. It commenced just a little over a fortnight after England clinched their maiden men's ODI World Cup in dramatic circumstances, while also marking the return of Steve Smith, David Warner, and Cameron Bancroft to Test cricket post their bans.
Unsurprisingly, they were greeted with heavy boos, and with Australia on the mat on the opening day, they needed something special from a score of 122/8. As things would have it, it was set up for Smith to chalk out one of the sport's great redemption arcs. Peter Siddle and Nathan Lyon hung around with him as Smith's outstanding 144 took Australia to a total of 284.
Rory Burns' dogged 133 saw England pocket a 90-run lead but what followed was a superb riposte in the second essay from the Australians. Smith was the protagonist once again as he blazed away to 142 before Matthew Wade counter-attacked his way to a century of his own. Skipper Tim Paine declared with a lead of 397 before Nathan Lyon's six-wicket haul ripped the hosts' batting lineup apart on the final day.
Australia took a 1-0 lead with a resounding 251-run win which was by no means as easy as the end result looked like. It went a long way in ensuring they retained the Ashes in England for the first time since 2001.
#2 4th Test in 1981
The 1981 Ashes series was rivetingly fought with Sir Ian Botham etching himself into eternal cricketing folklore. After his astonishing heroics in the third Test at Headingley which saw England level the six-match series 1-1, he was back at it again at Edgbaston.
Terry Alderman's five-wicket burst saw Australia roll the old enemy over for a mere 189 on the opening day of the fourth Test. Despite a few promising starts, none of the Aussie batters got a big score, even as they managed a lead of 69 in the first innings.
England didn't fare too better with the bat the second time out, having been bowled out for 219 and setting Australia a target of 151. They seemed to take a lot of confidence out of their defense of 129 in the previous Test and turned up inspired yet again.
Of course, it was Botham who had to have his say in the contest. Through the course of his five-wicket burst, he conceded a solitary run to land the knockout punch.
The visitors folded for a mere 121 as England wrapped up a famous 29-run victory to take a 2-1 series lead. Even today, this series is fondly dubbed 'Botham's Ashes'.
#3 2nd Test in 2005
Quite comfortably the most memorable Ashes classic at Edgbaston was the second Test in 2005. Australia took the early lead in the series at Lord's but if Botham turned it on in 1981, it was time for another maverick all-rounder to take centerstage 24 years later.
Andrew Flintoff had established himself as a bona fide game-changing all-rounder across formats but took it to a whole new level at Edgbaston in the second Ashes Test. His counter-attacking 62-ball 68 powered England to 407 in the first innings before snaring three wickets in a superb display of reverse-swing bowling to hand his side a 99-run lead.
Shane Warne then spun a web around the hosts but Flintoff was having none of it. A one-man effort saw him cart an 86-ball 73 as Australia were set a target of 282. After a 47-run opening partnership between Justin Langer and Matthew Hayden, Flintoff broke the game open with a stunning over for the ages that saw him nip both Langer and Ricky Ponting in the bud.
An Australian collapse saw them in dire straits at 175/8 before Warne and Brett Lee shared a 45-run ninth-wicket partnership. Flintoff bagged four wickets again but Michael Kasprowicz joined Lee with the last wicket pair threatening to pull off one of the great fourth innings heists.
With three runs to get, Kasprowicz gloved a Steve Harmison bouncer down the leg-side to Geraint Jones as Edgbaston erupted. It was bedlam all around as England celebrated an epic victory to level the series, before going on to regain the Ashes for the first time in 19 years.
Which of these Ashes Tests at Edgbaston is your favorite? Have your say in the comments section below!
Also read: Top 5 run-getters of WTC 2021-23 cycle ft. Babar Azam
