The Ashes 3 Disc Box Set - England V Australia 2005 [DVD]

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Product Description ------------------- Action-packed box set containing extended highlights from all five test matches in the historic 2005 Ashes series. The series started badly for the England team at Lord's as they suffered an emphatic defeat at Australia's hands, and particularly the hand of legendary Aussie fast-er Glenn McGrath. But as the series progressed England found their feet, and this confident young team started playing their best cricket, particularly impressing with the quality of their ing. At Edgbaston England survived a last ditch Australian fightback to complete a thrilling two-run victory to bring the series level. Then it was up to Old Trafford for more high drama as Brett Lee and Ricky Ponting stoically batted out the day to deny England another victory. Then on to Trent Bridge where England out-scored the Australians yet again in the first innings and made them follow on for the first time in 16 years. Set just 129 runs to win after ing Australia out for 387, England struggled to score the low total. Shane Warne and Brett Lee ed out of their skins to provide yet another heart-wrenching finale. At the start of the final test at The Oval, the series hung in the balance with England 2-1 ahead, despite some of the best ing of Shane Warne's long test career. A mixture of bad light, Kevin Pietersen's batting and Andrew 'Freddie' Flintoff's impressive display of character and determination managed to wrest the Ashes from Australia's grasp for the first time since 1987 and the atmosphere at the ground and around the country was euphoric. The 2005 Ashes Series will be remembered not just as a series in which a young England team came of age, but also as the point at which the game of cricket returned to the nation's conciousness after some years in the wilderness. .co.uk Review ------------- The 2005 Ashes Series turned out to be the most compelling, exciting and unpredictable cricket contest since Ian Botham almost single-handedly snatched victory from the jaws of defeat in 1981. Twenty-four years on, and we have a new all-rounder to take the lion's share of the glory: Andrew "Freddie" Flintoff, whose fast-ing undid the tourists throughout the series. Needless to say, however, it was not entirely a solo performance, with the series seeing sterling contributions from ers Matthew Hoggard and Steve Harmison, and some absolutely top notch batting from Andrew Strauss and a rampant Kevin Pietersen, who sealed Australia's e in the final contest at The Oval with a masterful century. The series started less well for the England team at Lord's as they faced a sound thumping at Australia's hands, and particularly the ing arm of legendary Aussie fast-er Glenn McGrath. But as the series progressed England found their feet, and this confident young team started playing their best cricket, particularly impressing with the quality of their ing. At the start of the final test at The Oval, the series hung in the balance with England 2-1 ahead, despite some of the best ing of Shane Warne's long test career. A mixture of bad light, Pietersen's batting and Flintoff's impressive display of character and determination managed to wrest the Ashes from Australia's grasp for the first time in sixteen years and the atmosphere at the ground -- and indeed nationwide -- was euphoric. The 2005 Ashes Series will be remembered not just as a series in which a young England team came of age, but also as the the point at which the game of cricket returned to the nation's conciousness after some years in the wilderness. --Duncan Thomson