England Level Ashes Series in Sensational Cricket Test

England levelled the Ashes series in one of the most20.
sensational Cricket Test matches ever seen. EnglandAustralia were within 2 runs of victory, one decent
eventually won the second Test by just two runs,blow, when Kasprowicz was controversially given out
the smallest margin in the history of Tests betweenby the New Zealand umpire Bowden, caught off his
the two countries.glove, yet his hand did not appear to be in contact
The match ended after three and a half days of nailwith the bat at the time. The crowd went wild, the
biting cricket as the game swung first one way andEnglish players dashing around as if a synchronised
then the other. Ricky Ponting the Australian captainbee stinging had occurred.
won the toss and surprised just about everyone inEveryone lucky enough to be present will remember
the ground by asking England to bat first. And batthis match until their dying day, and everyone agreed,
they did, to their highest score in the series so far, allEnglish and Australian alike, that this was a truly
out for 407 with Trescothwick top scoring on 90.memorable occasion. Freddie Flintoff justifiably
There had been a sensation just before the matchbagged the man of the match award.
started when Australia's main strike bowler injuredThe bandwagon now moves on to Old Trafford
himself in the warm up when he accidentally stood onManchester for the third test where every seat has
a cricket ball. He was carted off to hospital with abeen long sold out. Test cricket has even pushed the
real concern that he had broken his ankle. As itstart of the English Soccer season into the
turned out there wasn't a break but there is a realbackground, no small feat in England, and if the
danger he will miss the third test in Manchester.remaining three Ashes matches are anything like the
Australia started their reply badly when Hayden wasfirst two, we are all in for a huge treat.
out for a golden duck, out first ball, but after goodBetfair took more than £26 million on this match
spells and bad, Australia were eventually out for 308,alone, another new record amount for a single cricket
Justin Langer top scoring on 82, giving England amatch. You can still get a free $30 bet when you
priceless lead of 99 runs. But any joy the packed andopen an account with All you need do is enter the
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as England collapsed to 182 all out, and it would haveAs for the second Test match at Birmingham, it
been a lot worse had Freddie Flintoff not memorablywould be easy to write a fat book on that game
waded into the Australian bowlers, sending themalone, and still not include every dramatic twist and
regularly out of the ground before falling to Shaneturn that we saw. Cricket was the winner, no
Warne, the last of six victims for him. Flintoff topdoubting that, and everyone is on tenterhooks for
scored on 73 and this left Australia to make 282 tothe third Test. Latest news reports suggest that
win the match with plenty of time, and fair weatherBrett Lee could miss the match due to a knee
forecast.infection and it still looks likely that McGrath could
Australia began their run chase well, putting on 47 formiss the match too.
the first wicket, and already the crowd and theIf that happens Australia will be without their two
backers were getting nervous. But it was that manmain strike bowlers, and the English batsmen,
Flintoff again who took the wickets of Langer for 28suddenly confident after levelling the series, will be in
and Ponting for 0 who turned the tide back towardsa buoyant mood. The country awaits, something it
England. And just when it seemed that England musthasn't done with anything like this amount of interest
win and square the series, Warne waded in with 42,and anticipation since Ian Botham's heroics of 1981.
Brett Lee an inspired 43 not out and Kasprowicz with