Cricket · 2005 · Birmingham, England
The Edgbaston Test
England win the second Test of the 2005 Ashes by two runs, the closest margin the fixture has produced, and Andrew Flintoff turns the series.
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 an answer to an Australian side that had held the urn for sixteen years. Andrew Flintoff scored 68 and 73 with the bat and bowled a spell still discussed as one of the greatest single overs in the sport, removing Justin Langer and Ricky Ponting off consecutive deliveries.
It came down to the final morning with Australia needing a handful of runs and one wicket in hand. England's bowlers, led by Steve Harmison, held their nerve and took the last pair with two runs separating the sides, still the narrowest winning margin in Ashes history.
England levelled the series there and went on to take the 2005 Ashes, reclaiming the urn for the first time since 1987. For one summer cricket was back on the front pages of British newspapers, which it had not been in a generation.
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