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| September 13, 2005 | Tuesday | Sha’aban 8, 1426 |
England reclaim Ashes after 18 long years
LONDON, Sept 12: Kevin Pietersen defied his close friend Shane Warne to score an outrageous maiden Test century and seal England’s first Ashes triumph for almost two decades on Monday.
Pietersen broke Australian hearts as he brushed off three dropped catches to score 158 and ensure a draw on the last day of the weather-affected fifth and final Test at The Oval. That gave the home team a 2-1 series win.
Six runs ahead after the first innings and resuming their second on 34 for one, England recovered from a top-order collapse to bat almost the entire day before being dismissed for 335.
The world champion Australians were left to face less than an over from Steve Harmison, getting to four without loss before accepting an offer of bad light and their historic defeat.
The South Africa-born Pietersen was eighth man out, bowled by Glenn McGrath, but by then he had saved the game.
He hit seven sixes and 15 fours, faced 187 balls and batted for four and three-quarter hours, helping to put on 60 for the sixth wicket with Paul Collingwood and 109 for the seventh with Ashley Giles who made 59.
Warne produced a mammoth performance to take six wickets for 124 to go with his six in the first innings, but did not get enough support.
England battled back after losing the opening Test at Lord’s by 229 runs. They last won the Ashes in 1986-87, Australia winning a record eight series in a row since.
When Pietersen was finally dismissed, Warne ran over to him to shake his hand as he headed for the pavilion in the evening shadows.
Michael Vaughan’s side had looked to be tottering towards defeat at lunch as the collective genius of Warne and McGrath reduced them to 127 for five.
Pietersen, however, in his maiden Test series, mixed his unlikely good fortune with extraordinary leg-side shot-making.
Refusing to rein back, his audacity during the afternoon had the anxiety-ridden 23,000 capacity crowd singing again.
For Warne, Pietersen’s friend and Hampshire team mate who dropped the easiest chance he offered when on 15, there were few consolations, just new records.
In his last Test in England and one day short of his 36th birthday, the leg spinner completed 40 wickets for the series and 172 in all against his favourite opponents, surpassing the previous Australian record of 167 by Dennis Lillee.
England had begun confidently as early clouds made way for sunshine.
Vaughan’s first five scoring shots were all fours but once Warne joined McGrath in the attack the mood changed.
It was McGrath, however, who made the breakthrough.
Vaughan, on 45, edged and Adam Gilchrist dived full-length for a fine one-handed catch.
One ball later it was 67 for two, Bell completing a pair as he failed to get forward and Warne gleefully pocketed the catch at first slip.
Next over Pietersen suffered another heart stopping moment. Yet to score, he feathered a chance which brushed Gilchrist’s fingertips and evaded Matthew Hayden at slip.
On 15, the 25-year-old batsman then edged the bristling Lee to Warne.
It was the pivotal moment and perhaps Warne, such a good slip catcher, realised it as the ball flew to him at throat height. He grabbed, grabbed again and grassed the chance.
Pietersen barely acknowledged the moment and swept two flat, fizzing sixes in one over from the spinner.
Trescothick had less luck. A magical Warne ball jagged back out of the rough and trapped him lbw for 33, making it 109 for four. Soon Andrew Flintoff, the heart of the English team and later named Man-of-the-Series, was driving lamely back to Warne.
Pietersen, though, had clearly not been talked into a different approach.
He hooked Lee’s fourth ball for six, then added a six and two fours off consecutive deliveries.
The second pull, fizzing to fine leg, was dropped one-handed by a sprawling Shaun Tait.
Collingwood played a crucial part without convincing before falling to Warne for 10 after 70 agonising minutes and the raw Tait plucked out Geraint Jones’s off stump.
England were still not safe at tea, on 221 for seven. The drama of the final session, however, was soon deflated by Pietersen’s broad bat and Giles.
Warne mopped up the England tail but ended the match wondering what might have been.
SCOREBOARD
ENGLAND (1st Innings) 373 (A.J. Strauss 129, A. Flintoff 72; S.K. Warne 6-122).
AUSTRALIA (1st Innings) 367 (M.L. Hayden 138, J.L. Langer 105; A. Flintoff 5-78, M.J. Hoggard 4-97)
ENGLAND (2nd Innings, overnight 34-1):
M.E. Trescothick lbw b Warne 33
A.J. Strauss c Katich b Warne 1
M.P. Vaughan c Gilchrist b McGrath 45
I.R. Bell c Warne b McGrath 0
K.P. Pietersen b McGrath 158
A. Flintoff c and b Warne 8
P.D. Collingwood c Ponting b Warne 10
G.O. Jones b Tait 1
A.F. Giles b Warne 59
M.J. Hoggard not out 4
S.J. Harmison c Hayden b Warne 0
EXTRAS (B-4, W-7, NB-5) 16
TOTAL (all out, 91.3 overs) 335
FALL OF WKTS: 1-2, 2-67, 3-67, 4-109, 5-126, 6-186, 7-199, 8-308, 9-335.
BOWLING: McGrath 26-3-85-3 (1nb); Lee 20-4-88-0 (4nb, 1w); Warne 38.3-124-6 (1w); Clarke 2-0-6-0; Tait 5-0-28-1 (1w).
AUSTRALIA (2nd Innings):
J.L. Langer not out 0
M.L. Hayden not out 0
EXTRAS (LB-4) 4
TOTAL (for no wkt, 0.4 overs) 4
BOWLING: Harmison 0.4-0-0-0.
MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Kevin Pietersen.
MEN-OF-THE-SERIES: Andrew Flintoff (England) and Shane Warne (Australia).
COMPTON-MILLER MEDAL: Flintoff.
FIRST TEST: Lord’s, Australia won by 239 runs.
SECOND TEST: Edgbaston, England won by two runs.
THIRD TEST: Old Trafford, match drawn.
FOURTH TEST: Trent Bridge, England won by three wickets.—Agencies
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