When the 2005 Edgbaston Test sparked an England revival in the Ashes

As the final day of the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston neared its climax on Tuesday, one couldn't help but hark back to the humdinger at the venue in 2005. Australia's target then was 282 in the fourth innings.

- Vivek Krishnan

NEW DELHI: They needed 281 for victory last week. When they were eight wickets down in 2005, they needed 107 runs for victory. When Shane Warne fell on 42, they were still 62 runs away with one wicket remaining. When they lost eight wickets this time, 54 runs were needed.

So, could Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon pull off what Warne, Brett Lee and Michael Kasprowicz agonisingly couldn't 18 years ago when they lost by two runs?

Although they did last week, the 2005 Edgbaston epic will never fade from memory given the part it played in renewing the oldest rivalry in cricket. The Ashes had been reduced to one-sided contests all through the 1990s and early 2000s. To borrow from Gary Lineker's comment about the Germany football team, the English cricket fraternity may have felt, "Test cricket is a simple game. Twenty-two men play for five days, and in the end, the Australians always win."

Australia had gained such psychological advantage after winning 28 and losing just 7 of the 43 Tests from 1989 to 2004. They not only won every series but did so with an ease that underlined their status as the best in the business.