3 similarities between the Edgbaston Ashes Tests of 2005 and 2023
Edgbaston 2023 or 2005 - which is the better Test match? That is the question cricket lovers worldwide are fixated upon in the wake of Australia's thrilling run chase on Day 5 of the first Test at Edgbaston.
Dating back to 18 years ago when England famously won the 2005 Ashes, a two-run victory in the second Test at Edgbaston propeled the team toward their eventual series triumph.
Unfortunately for the hosts, in a match with similar ebbs and flows transpiring, they ended up on the wrong side of the result of the ongoing Ashes series. The Aussies emerged winners by two wickets on the final day.
As with the ongoing Ashes, the build-up surrounding the 2005 series was similar, considering the incredible form of both England and Australia leading up to the highly anticipated battle.
Before the Test series in 2005, both teams faced off in a tri-series, featuring Bangladesh, ending in a tied final. This was followed by a closely fought three-match series that Australia won by a scoreline of 2-1. England also eliminated the world champions from the Champions Trophy in 2004, defeating them in the semi-final by six wickets.
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Cut to the present, and the arch-rivals have been in blistering form in red-ball cricket over the last year, entering the Ashes series.
While Australia finished atop the points table for the 2021-23 WTC cycle and capped it off by defeating India in the WTC final, England have transformed their fortunes in the Test format, winning 11 of their previous 13 matches.
The Edgbaston Tests in 2005 and 2023 produced riveting action and high drama throughout the game. The pendulum swung toward each team several times, culminating with a spectacular finish that left the cricketing world gasping for breath.
As we look forward to potentially another fascinating Ashes series, let us look at the three similarities between the Edgbaston Ashes Tests of 2005 and 2023.
#1 Aggressive England batting on Day 1 of the Test
The hosts set the ball rolling and made their intentions blatant in both the Edgbaston Tests, batting first on Day 1.
Despite having a bat to start the Test, the decisions at the toss were on the opposite end of the spectrum. Ricky Ponting made a surprising call to invite England to bat first in 2005, while Ben Stokes had no hesitation in opting to bat first in the recently concluded contest.
In the 2005 Test, England started in attack mode right from the get-go, with an opening partnership of 112 in just 153 deliveries between Marcus Trescothick and Andrew Strauss.
While there were no centurions in England's batting essay, the onslaught continued throughout the day as they finished with 407 at the close of play on the first day. The hosts scored at an incredible rate of 5.13 runs per over, immediately putting Australia on the back foot for the rest of the Test match.
The current England team, renowned for their ultra-aggressive batting, followed a similar approach in their first innings and scored 393/8 declared in just 78 overs. Joe Root smashed a scintillating unbeaten century and led the way, with valuable contributions from Zak Crawley and Jonny Bairstow.
#2 Australia left to chase similar fourth-inning targets
The two Edgbaston classics also saw the Aussies being required to chase nearly identical targets for victory. While the visitors were set 282 to win the 2005 clash, they were given a target of 281 in the 2023 Test match.
Although the days preceding the final innings followed contrasting scripts, it felt like de-ja-vu to witness almost the same score set for the Aussies to overhaul.
In the 2005 clash, England had a substantial first-innings lead of 99 before enduring a top-order collapse in the second innings that saw them become 31/4. However, a terrific knock of 73 runs from Andrew Flintoff helped the hosts score 182 to help set the Aussies the daunting fourth innings total to chase.
However, in the 2023 contest, the teams were evenly matched throughout the Test, with the first innings scores separated by just seven runs. England then scored 273 in their second essay to set Australia 281 to chase.
#3 A solid opening partnership and an incredible lower-order partnership for Australia in the run chase
Chasing identical targets, the Australians started their run chases on both occasions with a solid and assured opening partnership to set the ideal platform for the rest of the innings.
While Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer barraged their way to 47 off 74 deliveries in the 2005 clash, Usman Khawaja and David Warner scored 61 runs for the opening wicket in the 2023 contest.
The Australian run down to both targets also saw unlikely lower-order partnerships to stun the English players and the vocal Edgbaston crowd.
From a seemingly untenable position at 175/8 in the 2005 game, Shane Warne and Brett Lee put on a 45-run partnership for the ninth wicket. That was followed by another incredible partnership of 59 runs for the final wicket between Lee and Michael Kasprowicz.
The 2023 classic saw similar lower-order resistance between Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon, who put on an unbeaten partnership of 55 runs for the ninth wicket to propel Australia to a remarkable victory at Edgbaston.