The Ultimate 2005 Ashes Quiz

The 2005 Ashes Series: England's victory over Australia after 16 years

The 2005 Ashes series was a cricket rivalry between England and Australia consisting of five Tests.
The Ashes were held by Australia as the most recent victors.
England won the series 2-1, succeeding in their biennial attempt to win the urn for the first time since 1986-87.
Australia had dominated since 1989, winning all but one series against England.
Before the series, Australia were still top-ranked, but England had improved and were second before the series.
The series was hailed as the most thrilling ever, with three closely fought matches.
The second Test at Edgbaston, considered one of the greatest of all time, saw England level the series with a two-run victory, the narrowest win in Ashes history.
The fifth and final Test started with England batting in their second innings, 40 runs ahead with nine wickets in hand.
After a day of fluctuating fortunes, England established a lead of 341 after Kevin Pietersen's maiden century of 158 runs.
The match was declared a draw due to bad light, ensuring the return of the Ashes to England after 16 years and eight series of Australian dominance.
The Australian team missed Glenn McGrath's superior control and wicket-taking abilities after he sustained an injury before the second Test.
England became the first team to hit 400 runs in a first day of Test cricket against Australia since 1938 in the second Test.Summary of 2005 Ashes Series, 2nd and 3rd Tests
The 2nd Test saw Australia start the day at 116/2, but England bowlers intervened and took the last five wickets for 199 runs, with Langer scoring 82.
England got a 99-run lead and built on it before stumps were drawn. On the 3rd day, 17 wickets fell, with Warne and Flintoff leading their sides.
Flintoff took four wickets in nine balls, reducing Australia from 47/0 to 48/2. Australia lost three more wickets before the scheduled close of play, with Giles getting two.
On the 4th day, Australia made two partnerships worth more than 40 runs, bringing them within three runs of victory. Harmison bowled a slower ball that missed Clarke's bat, ending the match.
The 2nd Test saw England win by two runs, the narrowest win in Ashes cricket history, and the second narrowest margin of victory in Test cricket history.
The 3rd Test began with England winning the toss and choosing to bat first. Vaughan made 166 runs, and Bell made 59. England declared on 444.
Australia started their innings tentatively, and after day 2, they were at 214/7. Rain delayed the start of day 3, and only eight overs were possible before play was again suspended.
Australia added 50 runs without loss on day 3, passing the follow-on target. On day 4, they were bowled out for 302, with Jones taking six wickets.
England declared on 280, giving Australia a target of 423 to win. Australia saw out the last 10 overs without losing a wicket and put on 24 runs, leaving 399.
On the final day, Langer fell for 14, and Australia lost three quick wickets. Ponting narrowly survived being run out early on.
Australia made two more partnerships worth more than 40 runs, but England won by 3 wickets, with Warne failing to take a wicket in the 2nd innings.
The 3rd Test ended in a draw, leaving the series tied at 1-1. Vaughan was named player of the match in the 3rd Test.The 2005 Ashes Series: A Detailed Recap
The 2005 Ashes Series was a Test cricket competition between England and Australia.
The series was played over five matches, with each team winning two matches and the final match ending in a draw.
In the first Test, England won by two runs in a thrilling finish.
Australia won the second Test by 239 runs, with Shane Warne taking 6 wickets in the second innings.
The third Test ended in a draw, with Ricky Ponting scoring a century for Australia.
England won the fourth Test by 3 wickets, with Simon Jones taking 5 wickets in the first innings.
The fifth Test was won by England by 2 runs, with Andrew Flintoff being named Man of the Series.
The series is considered to be one of the greatest Test series of all time.
The series was played in England, with the final Test taking place at The Oval in London.
The series saw many memorable moments, including the famous 'Freddie Flintoff' moment where he consoled Brett Lee after the end of the second Test.
The series was watched by millions of people around the world and helped to revive interest in Test cricket.
The series marked the end of an era for Australian cricket, as many of their star players retired in the following years.The Ashes 2005: England's Triumph
England won the Ashes series against Australia 2-1 for the first time since 1987.
The final Test at The Oval saw Kevin Pietersen score his maiden Test century, with support from Collingwood and Giles.
Australia was offered the light, and both teams had to wait for a formal finish, resulting in a farcical situation.
England won the series, and Pietersen was voted Man of the Match.
The Compton-Miller Medal for the overall man of the series was presented to Flintoff.
Political leaders like Tony Blair, Michael Howard, and Charles Kennedy congratulated the team.
Thousands of Londoners and cricket fans celebrated England's victory with a bus tour from Mansion House to Trafalgar Square on 13 September.
Following the victory, criticism began in Australia, with former fast bowler Dennis Lillee calling for the sacking of the team.
Three members of the Ashes-losing side were dropped for the ICC Super Series, and Lillee once again called for the replacement of Ponting as captain with Warne.
Following their performances in the series, Andrew Flintoff and Michael Vaughan were given the Freedom of the City in their home towns of Preston and Sheffield.
The Royal Mail issued a set of stamps commemorating the Ashes victory, and in the 2006 New Year Honours, 11 of the 12 playing members of the England team were awarded the MBE.
The celebrations of the previous year were criticised by the English public after Australia regained the Ashes in a 5-0 whitewash.