The Ashes Legends: Andrew Flintoff - The people's champion

England, inserted in after losing the toss, got off to a good start and Flintoff cashed in with a quickfire 62-ball-68, which contained six boundaries and five sixes, to take the total past 400. The big all-rounder then did his bit with the ball as well, polishing off the Aussie tail to end up with three wickets and help England secure a decent lead of 99.

Australia fought back courtesy Shane Warne (who else) and got the game back in balance. But Freddie, who came in at 74/5 in the second essay, continued his blistering form with the bat to bring up his second half-century of the match. While wickets tumbled at the other end Flintoff remained unperturbed in his counter-attack as he combined with Simon Jones to raise a last wicket stand of 51 in just six overs.

When he was finally dismissed, Flintoff had smashed 9 sixes across both innings, breaking Ian Botham’s record for maximum sixes in a match for England.

Chasing 282 for victory, Australia got off to a good start but it all changed when Vaughan, in an inspired change, threw the ball to his tireless all-rounder. In what was arguably the over of the summer, Flintoff made immediate impact, sneaking through the defence of Justin Langer.

“Freddie” was massive in that over

With the crowd firmly behind him now, he made the skipper Ricky Ponting dance to his tunes by making the ball move both ways before getting him to nick the final delivery of the over to wicket-keeper Geraint Jones. As he got engulfed by his teammates, Flintoff stood mid-pitch with widespread arms, soaking in the electric atmosphere. The theatricality was at its very best.

England completed a thrilling 2-run victory on the following morning but during the mad celebrations what stood out was the humane side of Flintoff. As the ground erupted in its entirety at the fall of the last wicket, the all-rounder, in a show of respect for the opposition, consoled the non-striker Brett Lee before joining his ecstatic teammates, to produce the most enduring image of the series.

After the highs of Edgbaston, one felt it just couldn’t get any better. But it didn’t get worse either. The following Tests at Old Trafford, Trent Bridge and The Oval produced many heart-stopping moments as Freddie went from strength to strength and took the center-stage with England scripting one of the greatest turnarounds in Test cricket.

Flintoff consoles Lee – An enduring snap of the series

After his gallant efforts with the ball to secure another win were thwarted by a superb Ponting century at Old Trafford, Flintoff came up with a hundred of his own to set up the platform for another tense win at Trent Bridge.

In the decider at The Oval he once again stamped his authority, with the ball this time, to pick up a five-wicket haul and trigger an Aussie collapse. England managed to eke out a draw and secure a 2-1 series win, their first Ashes win in 18 years.

With 402 runs at an average of 40 and 24 wickets at 27.29 apiece against the mighty Aussies, Flintoff had cemented a spot for himself in the Ashes pantheon. The man who had promised so much finally delivered, and along with awards and honours, he was hailed as the next Ian Botham.

However, after his man of series efforts in 2005, he failed to reach the dizzying heights again and fell short of the greatness he seemed destined for.