It was after receiving harsh criticism from the media following the loss at Leeds that England headed south to London with the series square at 1-1 and their messiah, Andrew Flintoff on his last legs. With verses of Jerusalem ringing in their ears, England won the toss and put the opposition into field to chase leather as they took advantage of a bone dry pitch. They made 332, with Ian Bell scoring a respectable 72 which helped England set up a substantial first innings lead. The Aussies were then elated by a match winning spell of bowling by Stuart Broad. England had built up a huge lead in the second innings thanks to Jonathon Trott.

Despite talks of the 40 year old Strictly Come Dancing star and ex-England cricketer Mark Ramprakash being recalled into the side for the final Test on his home ground, it wasn’t to be. It was Trott who was to become the 18th Englishman to score a century on debut and help the team set up a mammoth 546 for the Aussies to chase down. Then, history repeated itself. Ponting was run-out by Andrew Flintoff with the substitute Gary Pratt as facilitator. It seemed as if the ghost of 2005 was haunting Ponting again as the balance turned in favour of England from then on. Wickets tumbled steadily and any chance Australia had of retaining the Ashes were gradually being eliminated.

The series fluctuated all summer with its ‘edge of the seat’ moments followed by a final sign of relief for England at The Oval. Unmistakably, one must clarify that the wilting of the Australian’s batsmen under pressure on the fourth day of the fifth Test was not a true reflection of how they played throughout the summer. As far as the numbers are concerned, the Australian players held the upper hand all the way through, in their endeavour to defend the precious urn with the Aussie pace duo of Hilfenhaus and Siddle being the leading wicket takers and 4 of the top 5 run scorers in the series also being Australians.

This 2009 series of the Ashes was tough, hard fought cricket and was played in the right spirit. Still, it fell miles short of the glamour and drama provided by its 2005 counterpart which was arguably the most nail biting cricket that most British students have ever seen. This latest epic consisted of two average teams hampered by injury. Even so, it can be argued that it was the awareness of the high stakes that got the best out of these cricketers and assured such an enthralling series. Beating the old enemy would have surely massaged the egos of all England supporters, considering the team was annihilated 5-0 in the last Ashes series played in Australia. The 2009 Ashes spectacle could surely be remembered as the most precious Christmas gift an England cricket fan would have received this year and one would hope that the next series is equally as intense.