Andrew Flintoff made 402 runs and took 24 wickets in the 2005 Ashes — joint Man of the Series with Shane Warne — in a sustained all-round performance that defined the series and England's first Ashes win in 18 years.
The 2005 Ashes (Edgbaston covered separately) was won by England 2-1. Within that series, Andrew Flintoff's performances across all five Tests — batting, bowling, fielding, and spirit — set a standard for all-round contribution in a single series.
Flintoff had been England's best player going into the series. He had shown moments of brilliance before but never sustained it across a full Ashes series. 2005 was the series where he did.
First Test (lost): 7 and 3 batting, 0 wickets. Second Test (Edgbaston, won by 2 runs): 68 and 73, 7/99 — Man of the Match. Third Test (Headingley, drawn): 72 and 8, 4/76. Fourth Test (Trent Bridge, won): 102 and 8, 3/100. Fifth Test (The Oval, drawn): 72 and 8, 5/78.
Total series: 402 runs at 40.20. 24 wickets at 27.29. Joint Man of the Series with Warne. The consolation of Lee at Edgbaston. His famous speech on the Oval balcony. His celebration when England drew the final match.
No England all-rounder — Botham included — produced as consistent a contribution across five Tests as Flintoff in 2005.
Edgbaston — Man of the Match (7 wickets, 141 runs across both innings)
Trent Bridge — century (102) to seal England's series win
Joint Man of the Series with Shane Warne — two giants of the series recognised equally
July 2005
Second Test, Edgbaston — Flintoff Man of the Match
August 2005
Fourth Test, Trent Bridge — Flintoff 102, series won
September 2005
Fifth Test, The Oval — 2005 Ashes complete, England win 2-1
The greatest all-round series performance in Ashes history since Ian Botham in 1981. Flintoff's 2005 Ashes confirmed him as the finest English cricketer of his generation — and the series itself as the finest in modern cricket history.
Flintoff's 2005 Ashes is the template for English cricket's aspirations in every subsequent Ashes series. His consolation of Lee and his Man of the Match at Edgbaston are the two images that define what cricket's greatest rivalry can produce at its best.
Australia vs West Indies
1960-12-14
The first tied Test in 86 years of cricket history — Australia and West Indies finished level on 737 runs each after five days of breathless cricket in Brisbane, producing one of the most dramatic finishes the game has ever seen.
India vs Australia
1986-09-22
Twenty-six years after Brisbane, cricket produced only its second tied Test — Dean Jones's heroic 210 through crippling heat and Dean Jones's fever, Ravi Shastri's unbeaten 48 and India needing 2 off the last over, only for Maninder Singh to be out lbw off the final ball.
Australia vs South Africa
1999-06-17
Lance Klusener smashed Australia to the brink of elimination, then ran out Allan Donald off the penultimate ball to tie the match — but Australia advanced to the final on superior run rate, ending South Africa's greatest World Cup campaign in devastating fashion.