The Official 3-Disc DVD set of England’s 2005 Ashes Cricket Series Win over Australia
OK, first things first; one or two of you may be asking why we are reviewing a cricket DVD on Anglers’ Net. The answer is quite simple, nearly every angler I know loves Test Cricket and on many waters this year’s Ashes Series has been the talk of the summer!
I should say upfront that I’m a massive fan of cricket. My ‘Stag Do’ earlier in the year entailed a group of carp anglers going down to Lord’s for two days where England put on a convincing display against Bangladesh – a nice warm up for the Ashes. We even managed to meet up with the England Captain Michael Vaughan after the first days play in a Pub close to the ground, where we congratulated him on the fine Century he had racked up earlier in the day. As you would expect, our conversation soon turned to the imminent Ashes Series and it was Miffer who eloquently asked “So come on Vaughney, are we going to stuff the Aussies or what?”
“We’ll certainly try” was his answer… And try they did!
I don’t think I’ve ever witnessed such an enthralling display of sportsmanship from two Test sides, neither wanting to give an inch to their biggest adversary. The battle was titanic from the first ball bowled at Lords to the magical and somewhat symbolic removal of the bails at the Oval. Throughout the summer my mood constantly ebbed from nervous, anxious, frustrated, and at times elated by the constant to and fro of the series.
With work, home life, fishing and countless other commitments there was no way I would be able to witness every moment of the series on television, so I was made-up when I heard about the release of this compilation DVD. I was even happier when I found out that it was to be produced by the Sunset and Vine team responsible for the Channel 4 television coverage. I must admit that I have been extremely impressed with their coverage of Test Cricket over recent years – Not just for the quality of the commentary provided by the likes of Mark Nicholas, Richie Benaud, Geoffrey Boycott, Michael Atherton, Simon Hughes and others, but for the fascinating features and analysis they have brought to the sport.
The DVD set has the lot, with around eight and a half hours of highlights from the five Tests; Disc 1 features Lords and Edgbaston. Disc 2 features Old Trafford and Trent Bridge and Disc 3 features the fantastic Oval finale. In addition the third disc also contains an extra hour and a half of special features; a unique Ashes analysis by Simon Hughes, Five great performances with the bat, Five great performances with the ball, Commentators’ moments of the summer, The best of the amazing 4sight camera, Richie Benauds’s goodbye along with full scorecards, stats and facts.
I received the review copy late last week and spent a very enjoyable weekend watching the whole lot from start to finish – Hard work I know, but somebody had to do it! It really is a fantastic compilation that sums up a very special summer for English sport. What I did find quite weird whilst watching it all over again was that all the pent-up nervous tension had gone; as obviously I knew we were the eventual visitors! This meant that I was able to marvel at each individual performance with bat and ball, be it English or Australian.
The First Test was a distinct lesson in world class bowling (as if we needed to be reminded!) as Glenn McGrath ripped through the English line-up taking 9-82, which saw him clinch his 500th Test wicket in some style. Australia won by 239 runs and we had to do better, especially in the catching department!
They say ‘Fortune favours the brave’. The Second Test was probably the best Test I have ever seen. It was touch and go all weekend – A weekend I clearly remember as the final Sunday mornings play coincided with our departure for a weeks fishing on Birch Grove. I arrived at Miffer’s house that morning as play got under way, my stomach was churning as Australia’s total got nearer the 282 required to win. Despondency set in as Shane Warne and Brett Lee dug deep with the bat bringing the run chase closer and closer, until the point came where we resigned ourselves to imminent defeat. It seemed Shane Warne’s dismissal came far too late and as the last man stand of Michael Kasprowicz and Bret Lee continued to pile on the runs we simply could not sit and watch. We decided to set off for Birch. However, ever the die hard fans, we knew we had to see it through and so quickly turned on the radio to listen to the final overs as described by the Radio Four TMS team. As the total required fell below single figures I remember feeling, well, pretty sick.
With each ball bowled for no reward my heart sank a little deeper • To go two-down against Australia would effectively be the end of our Ashes quest before it had even begun, but then, as if by magic, with just two runs required for the Australians to clinch victory, Steve Harmison delivered the ball that saw England take the narrowest runs-margin victory in the entire history of the Ashes, as Kasprowicz gloved the ball down leg side to a diving Geraint Jones. In the split-second that ensued I remember seeing the body language of Miffer (who was in the car ahead) change from sullen and deflated to instant elation as we both suddenly realised we had grasped victory from the jaws of defeat. A truly magical moment that will stay with me forever. Hearing it on radio was one thing, seeing those final overs again on the DVD were truly spectacular. The DVD is worth purchasing for that single moment alone!
Although the Third Test at Old Trafford was ultimately drawn, there was no let up in the action which saw fantastic individual performances on both sides; Simon Jones provided blistering bowling figures of 6-53 in the first innings whilst Captain Michael Vaughan found form with the bat adding 166 runs. However, both these achievements were then topped by Australia’s Captain Ricky Ponting, who, against all the odds went on to grind out 156 hard fought runs which ultimately helped them save the match.
Trent Bridge proved just as exciting for the Fourth Test. After winning the toss England went out and racked up 477 in the first innings before ripping into the Australian batting line up with which saw Australia all out for just 218 runs • the follow on, the first to face Australia in nearly 200 Tests, was inevitable. All this made for a fantastic climax as England chased 129 runs for victory. Easy pickings you might think, but boy did we make hard work of it! It was left to Ashley Giles and Matthew Hoggard to bring home the bacon in a nail-biting finish which saw us go one up in the series with one left to play.
I remember watching the climatic finish to our last Ashes victory way back in 1987; I was a 15 year old and schoolboy and skived off school to watch it!
Since then the Ashes have been a painful and regular thrashing at the hands of the Australians. I really can’t explain how I felt before the Final Test, was it going to be a case of ‘so close yet so far’ or were we finally going to get our hands on that little urn?
Our first innings total of 373 was an interesting tally; Strauss topped the runs with 129 whilst ‘Freddie’ Flintoff took second best with 72. However, it was Steve Harmison’s 20 not out consisting of four four’s that we all remembered! Irrespective of this Australia’s opening batting partnership of Langer and Hayden soon racked up individual Test Centauries that spelled imminent disaster for England. Harmison eventually made the breakthrough taking Langer on 105, but it was Flintoff and Hoggard who went on to inflict the damage to the Australian batting line up with five and four wickets respectively.
With periods off the pitch for bad conditions, the mission was simple we had to bat the match out for a draw. Cometh the hour commeth the man; the innings will long be remembered for the fantastic Kevin Pietersen, a valuable 158, which when added to the fantastic 59 of Ashley Giles effectively put the game beyond Australia’s reach. England were all out for 335, which then saw a strange little interlude with Australia coming out to face four fierce balls from Steve Harmison before leaving the pitch for bad light. Anxious moments followed before the umpires finally came out and removed the bails, a symbolic gesture which lifted the roof off the Oval as the celebrations got underway.
This DVD set charts all the highs and lows, all the key moments and every twist and turn of probably the finest Test series ever played. If you have even the slightest interest in cricket or English sporting achievements, then you really should be getting a copy • it may be some time before the excitement of this series is surpassed.
Surely, the Christmas present every sports fan will be after!
The DVD is set for October release and retails at £24.99. However, you can pre-order copies at www.amazon.co.uk for just £14.99.
Julian Grattidge
October 2005
