The Ashes: Edgbaston 2005 all over again? Another gripping finish awaits as England and Australia target victory | Cricket News

There were many comparisons made with the 2005 Ashes ahead of this summer’s hotly anticipated series. Sky Sports were among those to make them.

A star-studded Australia team with a sustained period of success against a power-packed and rejuvenated England outfit. Add in a huge amount of interest from the public – not just the usual cricket-watching fans – and it is hard not to feel that it is 2005 all over again.

Especially now. Eighteen years on from one Edgbaston epic, we are enjoying another. Back then Australia were set 282 to win, this time it was 281. Back then England won by two runs, this time…

Australia require 174 more runs and England seven wickets. It will take something extraordinary to match ’05, a victory England snatched when Michael Kasprowicz gloved Steve Harmison down the leg-side to Geraint Jones, but let’s not rule it out, eh?

England have provided rich entertainment in every fixture of the Bazball era, whether battering boundaries all around the globe, somehow taking 20 wickets on the most placid of surfaces in Rawalpindi, or losing to New Zealand by one run in a game for the ages at Wellington.

Speaking to Sky Sports before the Ashes series, England head coach Brendon McCullum, after whom Bazball is named, said: “How do we provide that next shot in the arm to ensure we get people wanting to play Test cricket?

“You do it by providing the greatest entertainment on the biggest stage while everyone is watching. Bring it on. If it doesn’t work, it’s okay. We’ll get up and go again.”

One thing you know about England is that they will indeed “get up and go again” if things don’t work out. They did it after an innings defeat against South Africa at Lord’s last summer.

Immediately, in fact, inflicting an innings reverse on the Proteas a week later at Emirates Old Trafford after being told by McCullum to go harder, not into their shell, after suffering the first of only two losses so far during his and captain Ben Stokes’ tenure.

If Edgbaston 2023 ends differently to Edgbaston 2005 and Australia win, then England’s hopes of regaining the Ashes will take a monumental hit. Not since 2005 has a side won the Ashes after losing the first Test, England doing so at Lord’s before coming roaring back. But Stokes and McCullum don’t care much for history.

They are “be where your feet are” kind of guys, focussed on the present not the past. If England are beaten in Birmingham then it will be “get up and go again” at Lords from June 28 – but right now they look favourites.

The match was delicately poised at the start of the Australia second innings but then in the Baggy Greens’ favour after David Warner and Usman Khawaja shared an opening stand of 61.

Ollie Robinson opened the door for England when he nicked off Warner, before Stuart Broad smashed it open by dismissing the men at No 1 and No 2 in Test batting rankings, Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith. His late burst had real shades of 2005.

Back then, Steve Harmison bowled Michael Clarke deep into the penultimate day to give the hosts the edge. Eighteen years on it was Broad’s turn to land the crucial blow – or blows as it turned out.

So, on to Tuesday. In England’s favour is a fifth-day pitch, a five-star captain who deploys some of the funkiest fields you have ever seen, the pressure of the chase for the batting side, potential overcast skies to aid the seamers and, of course, that Labuschagne and Smith will play no further part.

Standing in their way, though, is the man who sits immediately below Labuschagne and Smith in the batting rankings in Travis Head, a now-set Khawaja looking to build on his first-innings century and the fact that off-spinner Moeen Ali is struggling with a blister on his spinning finger.

If you want to know how damaging that is for a twirler, Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon has the answer: “Like a singer trying to do a concert without vocal chords.” It remains to be seen what tune England get out of Moeen on a pitch that is taking appreciable turn.

Watching from the Sky Sports commentary box will be two men who played in that Edgbaston epic of 2005 – former England batter Kevin Pietersen and ex-Australia skipper Ricky Ponting. It’s just a shame that another star of ’05, the late Shane Warne, won’t be there, too.

Warne was one of the major players 18 years ago, claiming 10 wickets in the match and then taking Australia to within 62 runs of victory before he trod on his stumps facing Andrew Flintoff.

Warne loved the Ashes and he sure would have loved this current one. He would have loved Bazball and loved nearly everything about this year’s gripping Edgbaston Test – except for Australia’s defensive field placings. He’d have torn his hair out at those.

The most iconic image of the 2005 Test, of course, was Flintoff consoling a dejected Brett Lee after one of the tightest finishes in cricketing history.

Considering how this game has swung one way then the other, it would come as no surprise if there was a similar scene at some point on Tuesday. And after Sunday’s send-off, perhaps Robinson and Khawaja being the players involved, whichever way the result goes, would be a fitting finish.

Over to you, Edgbaston.

Watch day five of the first Ashes Test, from Edgbaston, live on Sky Sports Cricket on Monday. Build-up starts at 10.15am ahead of the first ball at 11am. Do not miss it!