Ashes 2005. The mere mention of the series bring back memories that every cricket and even non-cricket fan would remember vividly. A see-saw battle that swung 360 following Australia's 239-run demolition of England at Lord's ended with England taking the series 2-1 after drawing the final Test at The Oval.
Whether it was Glenn McGrath's injury that saw him miss the second Test, Geraint Jones’ memorable catch to dismiss Michael Kasprowicz, Kevin Pietersen's blitzkrieg, Andrew Flintoff's all-round performances or Simon Jones' mastery of reverse swing, Ashes 2005 will live long in the memory of every cricket fan. But what are the England players from that triumphant series up to these days?
None of the names from England’s playing XI from their victorious Ashes 2005 campaign feature in the current Test team, although only two are yet to announce their international retirement.
Let’s take a look at where each of those 11 players who took to the field during the Ashes for England is at present:
Marcus Trescothick
One of England's most elegant openers, Marcus Trescothick was a consistent performer in England's triumph in 2005. Although he didn't have a century to his name, his three fifties and especially his counter-attacking innings in Edgbaston set the tone for England's comeback in a series that went down in history as one of the best of all-time.
Although he retired from all three formats in 2006 due to a stress-related illness, he continues to play domestic cricket for his county, Somerset. Despite being 40, he finished the 2016 County Championship as the third-leading run-scorer with 1,239 runs at an average of 51.62 with four centuries and four fifties and almost helped his side claim the title.
Andrew Strauss
The only player in the 2005 Ashes series to make two centuries, Andrew Strauss had a memorable series. Following his impressive performances as an opener and Michael Vaughan's retirement, he took over the captaincy and became one of his country's best captains of all-time.
He took England to the top of the world rankings, for the first time in 31 years, courtesy of a home and away Ashes wins and a 4-0 whitewash of the then No.1 ranked in 2011. He also captained England in the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup and in the following year, he retired from cricket.
In 2015, he was appointed as England's Director of Cricket and has since overseen a meteoric rise in their limited-overs performances.
Michael Vaughan
The inspirational skipper behind England's first Ashes triumph in 18 years, Michael Vaughan enjoyed a fairytale summer in 2005 when everything he touched turned to gold. He scored a century and fifty with the bat but is more remembered for his inspired captaincy throughout the series.
Since then, he has called time on his international career and gone from being the man calling the shots on the field to the one doing all the talking off it. Aside from being active on Twitter, Vaughan is also a columnist and commentator while also frequently appearing on BBC's Test Match Special.
Ian Bell
Aside from the third Test where he scored a fifty in both innings, Ian Bell had a forgettable series, which was capped off by a pair in the final Test, which sealed the Ashes for England.
Since then though, he went on to establish himself as one of the finest English batsmen of all-time, scoring in excess of 13,000 international runs. Although he has been left out of England's limited-overs plans since their disastrous 2015 World Cup, aged just 34, he is still hoping for a recall to the Test side, for which he last played in November 2015.
He still plays domestic cricket for his county, Warwickshire and has signed up with the Perth Scorchers for the upcoming season of the Big Bash.
Kevin Pietersen
One of England's key performers in the victorious Ashes triumph in 2005, Kevin Pietersen was a revelation with the bat as he scored a century and three fifties in the series. Since then, he went onto become England's leading run-scorer in all formats before Alastair Cook broke his record earlier this year.
However towards the latter part of his international career, controversy followed him everywhere he went and he had a public falling out with the England side. While he may not have played for England since 2014 and looking increasingly likely to have played his final game, he is yet to announce his international retirement.
That hasn't stopped him from playing cricket, however, as he can be seen playing in domestic T20 tournaments around the world, from the Ram Slam T20 Challenge and Pakistan Super League to the Big Bash and the Indian Premier League, where he last played under the stewardship of Indian limited-overs captain MS Dhoni.
Paul Collingwood
Drafted in for the final Test in place of the injured Simon Jones, Paul Collingwood didn't have a great outing with the bat as he was dismissed for not much in both innings. However, his international career since then was nothing short of extraordinary as he finished as England's leading run-scorer in ODIs and player with most appearances in the format too, along with being a three-time Ashes winner.
Before calling time on his international career, which spanned 300 games, in 2011, Collingwood would have plenty of highs. When he wasn't saving Tests with the bat or taking brilliant catches on the field, Collingwood captained his country and to this date remains the only England skipper to have won a World title, which he claimed courtesy of his 2010 World T20 title.
He still plays domestic cricket for his county, Durham, at the age of 40 and his undeniable grit and determination to score, shows no signs of abating. He has also coached Scotland and has been a consultant with England as well.
Andrew Flintoff
Courtesy of his performances in the 2005 Ashes, Andrew Flintoff not only claimed the BBC Sports Personality of the Year but also the ICC Player of the Year and gave England fans the all-rounder they have been craving ever since Ian Botham hung up his boots.
Despite some dizzying highs, memorable moments and immense popularity, Flintoff couldn't quite consistently hit the levels expected of him. Still, he carved out a great England career, which came to an end in 2010.
Since then not only has he played in various domestic T20 leagues but also taken part in a professional boxing match and carved out a successful TV career in A League of Their Own, alongside James Corden and even won the first series of Australian version of I'm a Celebrity.. Get Me Out of Here! after spending a month in the jungle in 2015 and taking on multiple challenges including eating a rat's tail.
Geraint Jones
Born in Papua New Guinea and having learned his cricket in Australia, Geraint Jones' selection to the Test team ahead of Chris Read was widely debated in 2005. But Jones proved all his doubters wrong by providing the most endearing moment of the series as he dived to his left and caught Michael Kasprowicz to seal a two-run win in Edgbaston that changed the fate of the series.
On the back of that catch, England went from 0-1 down to being level and courtesy of their victory at Trent Bridge where Jones scored a crucial 85 in partnership with Andrew Flintoff, they took a 2-1 lead which they clung on to win one of the most memorable Test series in recent memory.
Although Jones never played for England since 2006, he called time on his international career after representing Papua New Guinea in 2014. He played for Gloucestershire in the 2015 season and even recently appeared in the Masters Champions League which took place in the UAE for the Capricorn Commanders. A fully trained pharmacy technician, Jones took over as a cricket professional at Brentwood School in Essex.
Ashley Giles
After starting his career as a fast bowler, Ashley Giles gave Michael Vaughan the option of providing his fast bowlers with some much-needed as the left-arm spinners ability to keep the scoring down and bowl tight lines was evident throughout the 2005 Ashes.
He might not have had a lot of wickets to his name but his performance is one that is acknowledged by every member of the bowling line-up. He retired not long after the Ashes and was England's limited-overs head coach between 2012 and 2014. He is currently English county side Lancashire's Cricket director.
Matthew Hoggard
Matthew Hoggard may have just picked up just 16 wickets in the five-match series in 2005 but his ability to bowl a nagging line and also moonlight as a night-watchman was something that didn't go unnoticed by England in their triumphant series.
Although he never quite managed to carve out a successful ODI career, the right arm fast bowler finished his international career with 248 wickets form just 67 matches. He played his final international game in 2008 and called time on his cricket career in 2013.
Steve Harmison
One of England's best bowlers in the 2005 Ashes series, he finished it with 17 wickets and was a vital cog in their bowling line-up. Although he only had one five-wicket haul in the series, his height, awkward bounce and pace troubled the batsmen throughout the series.
Since then, he played over 100 international matches for England, although it was in Tests that he was it his most effective, picking up 226 wickets in 63 matches. He called time on his international career in 2009 and currently does commentary for Sky Sports alongside being manager of his local non-league side Ashington.
As manager of the Northern Football League side, Harmison even received a 12-match ban for a bust up with the referee earlier this year.
Simon Jones
A career that had so much promise, and was at its zenith during the 2005 Ashes series, was unfortunately cut short due to injury. Simon Jones may have only played 18 Tests for England but four of them were in the 2005 Ashes, where he took 18 wickets at an average of 21 and tormented the Aussie batsmen with lethal reverse swing.
The fact that Simon Jones was even taking part in that series despite suffering a career-threatening knee injury was a testament to his will. And unfortunately for him, the ankle problem that ruled him out of the final Test of the series was indicative of his struggle with injuries throughout his career.
After playing just 26 matches for England, the last of which was the fourth Test in Nottingham, Jones called time on his career due to injuries. He also released an autobiography following his eventual retirement from cricket in 2013 and also took part in the inaugural Masters Champions League for the Leo Lions in 2016.
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