Before the beginning of the
2005 English cricket season began, a resurgent
English cricket team had won four Test series in a row, going unbeaten through the 2004 calendar year. The start of the international season saw England defeat
Bangladesh 2–0 in their two-match series, winning both Tests by an innings. This was followed by a tri-nations one-day tournament that also featured
Australia. However, all eyes were on
the Ashes. Australia still started as favourites, but England, for the first time in years, were expected to put up a real challenge to Aussie supremacy.
Indeed, so they did, despite losing the first Test by 239 runs. England came back to win the second and fourth Tests, and draw the third and fifth, to win the Ashes for the first time since
1986–87.
Andrew Flintoff dominated with both bat and ball for England, scoring 402 runs – more than any Australian – and taking 24 wickets – more than any Australian bar
Shane Warne. Warne also had a spectacular series, with 40 wickets at a
bowling average of 19.92, and 249 runs, but most of his efforts came in losing causes – such as making 42 with the bat in the second innings of the second Test.
In domestic cricket,
Nottinghamshire won the
County Championship, for the first time since
1987, and
Durham enjoyed promotion in both the shorter and the longer form of the game.
Surrey, the
2000 and
2002 Championship winners, were relegated in the Championship, and played in Division Two in both the Championship and the...
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