Cricket · 2005 · Birmingham, England
The Edgbaston Test
England win the second Test of the 2005 Ashes by two runs, the closest margin in the fixture's history, with Andrew Flintoff's all-round performance turning the series in England's favour.
England won by 2 runs
Result
Narrowest in Ashes history
Margin
141
Flintoff's runs (match)
England had lost the first Test of the 2005 Ashes and arrived at Edgbaston needing a response against an Australian side that had held the urn for sixteen years. Andrew Flintoff scored 68 and 73 with the bat and produced a spell of fast bowling widely regarded as one of the greatest single overs in the sport's history, removing both Justin Langer and Ricky Ponting in consecutive deliveries.
The match came down to the final morning with Australia needing just a handful of runs to win, and England's bowlers, led by Steve Harmison, held their nerve to bowl the last pair out with the scores separated by only two runs, still the narrowest winning margin in Ashes history.
The result levelled the series and shifted its momentum decisively toward England, who went on to win the 2005 Ashes and reclaim the urn for the first time since 1987, a series widely regarded as one of the greatest ever contested and one that returned cricket to the front pages of British newspapers for the first time in a generation.
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