The Ashes 2013: Let’s rewind to feel the heat

One of the most celebrated rivalries in international sport, the Ashes is about to kick start and in consonance with this lively wave, let us gear up to witness some tough and exciting cricket. Though the Ashes in itself brings that excitement and thrill in the game, which an ardent follower seeks, but this time with Alastair Cook led English side looking fairly dominant over Michael Clarke led Aussie side and moreover England being the host, the intensity of heat is somewhat lower in magnitude.

The competition might not be of the expected level and the English team might end up ‘retaining the Ashes’ quite easily as things seem at present. However, you count the kangaroos out at your peril only. The inherent quality and passion to strike back hard at the opposition is quite a defining factor of Australian cricket.

While we shouldn’t get into this prediction business too much and allow the game to flow in its underlying unpredictable nature; one thing that we can definitely do is increase the intensity of heat at our end, ourselves by reliving some of the best Ashes contests in past. When one tries to attempt the same, the Ashes series which captures the maximum hit rate in one’s memory is the prolific ‘Ashes 2005’.

Ashes 2k5, can easily be summed up in a nutshell as the ‘Freddie show made sweeter by the rise of KP’. In many ways, the series changed the landscape of cricket. It brought English cricket back into prominence, bringing them the prestigious Ashes, which Aussies had firmly held since 1989. The lines to follow attempt to recapitulate some of game changing moments of Ashes 2k5.

The first test started off in a jam-packed Lord’s, with Australia batting on day 1, facing the famous Hoggard swing and the deadly pace and bounce attack from Harmison. The Aussie captain, who came into bat after Hayden lost his wicket (to an in swinging beauty from Hoggard) was hit hard by a nasty bouncer from Harmison and started to bleed.

You normally would expect opposition players giving caring glances atleast. Not this occasion though; no English player went to him, giving a clear sneak-peek into the English intent. But England turned out to be the losing team in that test match as the English batsmen looked befuddled at the questions, the great Glenn McGrath asked of them. The discovery of this match was a man of the South African origin, Kevin Pietersen. Although he was a debutant in this match, yet he never looked like one, smashing Warnie for sixes, scoring fifties in both innings and ended up being the highest scorer for England.

The second test at Edgbaston, gave spectators and fans their money’s and time’s full worth, as they witnessed a pulsating test match, with a nail biting finish, helping England level the series 1-1. After high scoring first innings from both teams, England was in deep trouble in the second one, when came the English talisman, ‘Freddie’ to the rescue, smashing the Aussie bowlers all around the park. After displaying his batting talent, the all-rounder showed us that he was no less a front-line bowler and gave us a chance to witness an absolute breathtaking spell, in which he was just too fast and furious for Aussie batsmen to handle.

Third test at Old Trafford ended in a draw, but again had all sorts of thrill and excitement right till the end. This match saw awesome batting performances from English captain Vaughan in the first innings and England’s prime opener Andrew Strauss in the second innings. The fantastic bowling spell from Simon Jones in the first innings was also a treat to watch. Chasing a massive target of 400 plus, the Aussie skipper played a brilliant knock of 156 before he got out; an innings which was quite interesting to watch, as he had to refrain from his natural attacking game and switch to the defensive mode, seeing his side on the verge of loosing yet another match on the fifth day. The end was going on the similar lines of second test, but this time the Aussie tail managed to draw the test and kept the series to 1-1.

The fourth test at Trent Bridge was epic as we all witnessed the Aussie team following-on in a test match after 17 years, thanks to a Freddie century and then a yet another devastating spell from Simon Jones. Although the Aussies fought back hard and attacked back, the effort was just not enough to stop England from enjoying a 3 wicket win to lead the series 2-1. This test also refreshes our memory with that famous run-out of Ponting, which was followed by some disrespectful words and gesture in punter’s own style to the English dressing room.

The fifth and final test at the Oval saw sumptuous batting performances from both the teams, with centuries from Strauss, Hayden and KP and wizardesque bowling spells from the legendary Shane Warne (earning him 5 wicket hauls in both innings). The match finally ended in a draw and England registered a 2-1 victory, regaining the urn. Half the English side had never played in an Ashes test match before. More than the result, it was the delectable and thrilling manner in which the series flowed that makes me write about it.

Let’s sit back and enjoy the 67th edition of the series, and hope that it brings the same if not more, jaw dropping and eye popping moments!