HIGH 5
The Sunday Age
Sunday August 23, 2009
It's one of the great rivalries in sport, so as another evenly-matched Ashes series heads towards a fitting finale, there's still time to recall some other notable battles between the old foes.1. Original winIN AN era in which you can buy a plastic replica of the famous Ashes urn at the post office, we can be thankful that the on-field deeds of our cricketers have justified the continued mystique of sport's most unusual little trophy. And, by all accounts, the original match that brought about the urn was also a corker of a game. Played at the Oval in London in August 1882, Australia won the low-scoring contest by a mere seven runs €” having scored just 63 in its first innings. England countered with 101, and the Aussies knocked up 122 in their second dig, leaving the home side 84 to win. Needless to say it didn't make the grade, collapsing to 77 all out. It was England's first loss to the colonials on home soil and prompted a Sporting Times mock obituary on the death of English cricket. It read: "The body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia." There may have been closer matches in the 127 years since, but the sledging has rarely been as refined. For more information on the history of the Ashes urn and the match that led to its creation, check out the history section of the website at Lord's: www.lords.org/history/the-ashes/.2. Thrill of the chaseTHE 1948 fourth Test at Headingley was the scene of one of Australia's greatest run chases when Don Bradman's "Invincibles" chased down 404 on the last day to win with just 15 minutes to spare. Arthur Morris (182) and Bradman (173 not out) made a mockery of the difficult turning pitch, with the opening pair putting on 301 for the first wicket. Morris was dropped twice, but Bradman played his usual solid knock to get the Aussies over the line with seven wickets in hand. And while the Headingley Test went down to the wire, the rest of the tour was a doddle for the all-conquering Australians, winning the five-Test series 4-0 and going through the first-class tour undefeated. With Bradman calling it quits soon after, that eight months of 1948 remains one of the high points of Australia's Ashes history.3. 100 deep breathsTHE MCG has seen many amazing contests over the years, but the one-off Centenary Test (not counted as an Ashes match) in March 1977 had it all, including a visit fromthe Queen. Australia batted first after losing the toss and the first innings was notable for Australia's Rick McCosker misjudging a hook shot and breaking his jaw and his stumps. The host slumped to be all out for 138, but recovered through Dennis Lillee's exploits. The big man, who famously ignored protocol during the royal visitto ask the Queen for her autograph, took 6-26 to dismiss the visitors for a first-innings total of 95. Both teams had a more robust second dig, although the Aussies were saved by some late-order heroics from wicketkeeper Rod Marsh (110 not out) and the injured McCosker (25), who took the field with his jaw heavily strapped.England's Derek Randall defied the Australians for 174 runs, but England ultimately was overwhelmed, with Lillee cleaning up the English tail. The Test produced the same result as the Australia-England clash at the MCG 100 years earlier €” Australia by 45 runs.4. Caught shortIT DIDN'T take long before another MCG Ashes classic joined the history books. But in the 1982 Boxing Day Test it was England that had the last laugh in a stunning climax. After an evenly poised three days, the Australian batting collapsed on the fourth day, leaving the host needing 74 runs with nine wickets down. Allan Border and Jeff Thomson duly took the match to new heights after they came together late on the fourth day and held out until stumps. On the morning of the fifth day, they edged to a partnership of 70 €” in front of an ever-growing Melbourne crowd €” as unlikely batting hero Thomson protected his wicket and Border knocked off the runs. Just when it seemed Australia would prevail, Thomson edged Ian Botham to second slip Chris Tavare, who fumbled the catch, knocking the ball up and behind. But first slip Geoff Miller was quick enough to catch the rebound and win the game. You can see those tense final moments at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWwpvWVRS8U.5. Fred the rockTHE 2005 Ashes series is rightly judged to be one of the best. And while the finale was high drama, the scene had been set at the second Test in Edgbaston where England had the better of the Australian tailenders after a dogged fight. With England down 1-0 in the series, Andrew Flintoff seemed to have bowled the home team to victory, with the Aussies needing 107 runs with just two wickets in hand. After Shane Warne's fighting knock ended, Brett Lee and Michael Kasprowicz scraped 59 more runs to get within three of victory. But as in 1982, there was to be no fairytale. A Steve Harmison bouncer took Kasprowicz's glove, giving Geraint Jones a catch behind the stumps. Lee was not out on 43 and amid the celebrations Flintoff was moved to offer gentlemanly commiserations.
© 2009 The Sunday Age