CRICKET: In the end, the destiny of the Ashes may have come down to the sheer bloody-minded determination of the King of Spain and a floppy-haired son of the soil; cometh the hour cometh the men.
When Matthew Hoggard's ploughman's gait took him to the crease the task was simple: eke out 13 more runs with Ashley Giles and the match was England's. Fail and the chances were that Australia would come from behind to sneak another truly remarkable match and retain the Ashes. So no pressure there then. The response was heroic.
England were set 129 runs to win on a pitch that was showing signs of wear but still playing respectably and, with the tension mounting, lost wickets with heart-stopping regularity, as Shane Warne's genius and Brett Lee's utter competitive determination held them in a web from which there seemed no escape. A walk to the village shop had been turned into a marathon.
Marcus Trescothick, Andrew Strauss, Kevin Pietersen and Andy Flintoff all got into the 20s but none surpassed Trescothick's 27, an early rocket-launch against the new ball before Warne had him caught at silly point from bat and pad with his opening delivery. Runs became rare gems, each one greeted as if it had sealed the match.
For two hours Ricky Ponting, such an unimaginative captain for much of the game, cast off his cloak and abetted by Warne's influence became inspirational. The areas around the crease were claustrophobic with no way through. Unorthodoxy was the game plan.
When Hoggard joined Giles, Warne had already collected the first three wickets with scarcely a stroke in anger against him, such was his mesmerism. England would see him out and score from the other end, where Ponting would have given the treasures of Araby for the controlling influence of Glenn McGrath. Instead, he had Lee's enthusiasm and the raw pace of Shaun Tait. But Lee had announced himself too, first inducing a false hook shot from Ian Bell and then claiming Pietersen caught behind from the first ball of a second spell to end a vital 46-run stand with Flintoff.
He removed the colossus himself next, who lost his off stump to a stunning delivery that ripped back at high velocity.
When Geraint Jones opted to try and bring a quick end to proceedings by shimmying down the wicket to Warne but succeeded only in sending a steep catch to Michael Kasprowicz at a deep wide mid-off, the game, at 116 for seven, seemed up.
Neither Giles nor Hoggard would recognise flamboyance if it was introduced to them in neon letters 10ft high. This win, if it was to come, would come through more solid virtues. No risks would be taken here. So Hoggard thrust his defence forward at Lee and Giles stunned Warne's spin.
A cover drive brought a couple and the stands erupted. Giles clipped Warne through midwicket for another brace and the roof of the Fox Road Stand all but came off. Lee, straining every sinew in the evening sunlight, overstepped and Steve Bucknor's arm shot out. Then for good measure he did it again.
A few balls earlier, a wicked Lee yorker had snaked in and pinned Hoggard's front foot. The appeal filled the air but it was sneaking down the leg side: Australian boots kicked the turf in disappointment.
It needed a boundary to ease the tension and it came from Hoggard, who leaned into a full toss from Lee and eased it away through extra cover where, willed on by the voices of thousands in the ground and millions watching on televisions, it just beat the pursuing fielder to the rope. Two to long leg followed, leaving just two required.
The great champion Warne was trying to will his ailing side to victory. A full toss might have sealed it then and there but in his eagerness Giles missed it. On the players' balcony Michael Vaughan's celebrations were curtailed prematurely. But Ponting had called his field in now and there was space in the outfield.
Warne bowled, Giles clipped to midwicket and the ball raced away towards the boundary, the pair completing their two runs and dancing a jig of delight as the ball neared the fence.
England go to The Oval for the final Test next week knowing that a draw will see the Ashes regained but for Australia a win alone will suffice. With this knowledge the potential loss of Simon Jones will not seem quite the setback it might have been had England been seeking a win.
Jones has the start of a bone spur on his foot, a similar condition to that which sidelined Flintoff until an operation put it right. Aggressive treatment to reduce the swelling in the soft tissue could rectify it in the short term and he might well be available for the match. If not, England could opt to bolster their batting or bring in Chris Tremlett.
Guardian Service
ENGLAND (Overnight 477 (A Flintoff 102, G O Jones 85, M E Trescothick 65, M P Vaughan 58; S K Warne 4-102). AUSTRALIA 218 (S P Jones 5-44) and 222-4 (J L Langer 61).
AUSTRALIA second innings
M J Clarke c G O Jones b Hoggard 56
S M Katich lbw b Harmison 59
A C Gilchrist lbw b Hoggard 11
S K Warne st G O Jones b Giles 45
B Lee not out 26
M S Kasprowicz c G O Jones b Harmison ... 19
S W Tait b Harmison 4
Extras b1 lb4 nb14 pens 0 19
-
Total (124 overs) 387
Fall: 1-50 2-129 3-155 4-161 5-261 6-277 7-314 8-342 9-373.
Bowling: Hoggard 27 7 72 2 S P Jones 4 0 15 0 Harmison 30 5 93 3 Flintoff 29 4 83 2 Giles 28 3 107 2 Bell 6 2 12 0.
ENGLAND second innings
M E Trescothick c Ponting b Warne 27
A J Strauss c Clarke b Warne 23
M P Vaughan c Hayden b Warne 0
I R Bell c Kasprowicz b Lee 3
K P Pietersen c Gilchrist b Lee 23
A Flintoff b Lee 26
G O Jones c Kasprowicz b Warne 3
A F Giles not out 7
M J Hoggard not out 8
Extras lb4 nb5 pens 0 9
-
Total 7 wkts (31.5 overs) 129
Fall: 1-32 2-36 3-57 4-57 5-103 6-111 7-116.
Bowling: Lee 12 0 51 3 Kasprowicz 2 0 19 0 Warne 13.5 2 31 4 Tait 4 0 24 0.
England win by 3 wickets.
