18 years ago, on this day, in the Edgbaston Test of that epic 2005 Ashes series, England’s majestic all-rounder Andrew Flintoff produces one of the greatest overs in Test cricket in which he scalped the key, big wickets of Austalia batters Justin Langer and skipper Ricky Ponting.
15 years down the line, Ricky Ponting would go in to describe that over from Andre Flintoff as the “Best over I ever faced” with the lanky England seamer making the ball reverse swing at high speed, having the Australian captain dancing on his toes and sending the Edgbaston crowd in a frenzy, which would get even more mayhem as both teams produced an Ashes classic which England won by only 2 runs.
Earlier in England’s second innings, Andrew Flintoff had played one of the most sizzling, and crucial, knocks in Ashes cricket, smoking 73 runs off 86 balls with the help of 6 fours and 4 sixes, after England had been struggling at 75/6. His thunderous innings helped England set a defendable target of 282 runs for Australia.
The visitors got off to a good start with Justin Langer and Hayden putting up 47 runs in 12 overs before Andrew Flintoff took over and changed the momentum of the match, and the series.
From around the wicket, Flintoff’s first ball of the over was a dot ball, Langer tapping it to point. Langer gloved the second ball onto his stumps.
Now the battle was between Andrew Flintoff and Ricky Ponting, two players at the peak of their games. And only one was to come out unscathed in this battle.
Flintoff is long and lean; Ponting not so much. In this contest, Big ‘Freddie’ towered over Punter.
The star of Flintoff raised in this over, which encapsulated the heightened status that he would earn with his series-winning performance.
The first ball of this duel, the third of the over, was rapped on Ponting’s pads, but with the right-hander jumping and shuffling outside his off-stump, there was no chance of an lbw. The next ball, the bowler found the batter’s outside edge, but it fell short of Ashley Giles at the gully position.
The crowd is now ramming the decibels up.
The 5th ball of the over – a big in-nipper, once again hitting Ponting on his pad, beating his inside-edge, but once again saved from an lbw, likely because of height or perhaps going down leg.
The last ball of the over was outside off-stump and Ricky Ponting, desperately, and carefully, let it go. But for a small twist: it was a no-ball.
Andrew Flintoff will have to reload again – not that he would mind considering that he was on song. “That won’t be a problem as far as Flintoff’s concerned,” said Mark Nicholas on Channel 4’s commentary.
In Test cricket, the batter on most occasions doesn’t care about a no-ball and facing extra delivery. But here, what would Ricky Ponting have given for Billy Bowden to miss Flintoff’s leg breaching the bowling crease?
Ricky Ponting vs Andrew Flintoff: One of Ashes greatest memories
For next came a delivery that will go down in Ashes folklore. That will define Andrew Flintoff’s dizzy-inducing effects in the 2005 Ashes series. That will be talked of year after year; that will eventually force Ricky Ponting to admit it finally he’d conceded in that battle. A proper Knock Out from Flintoff.
Flintoff flips the ball. Reverse-swing is ON. At that pace, it’s deadly. In the backdrop of that raucous crowd, it was going to be incredibly difficult to survive.
Outside off, angled in, reverse-swinging. Ponting is tempted to play at it. He felt he had to play at it, because of the inward angle of the ball and Flintoff’s action making it look more so. Seamed just away, kissing the outside edge of Ricky Ponting’s bat, and into the safe mittens of Geraint Jones.
The simmering Edgbaston now erupts. I don’t often use the word, but it was proper pandemonium. How Headingley went wild after Ben Stokes crashed Pat Cummins for four to win that game in 2019. How the Chinnaswamy lost it in 2018 even when the away team won courtesy of a blazing six from MS Dhoni.
The victorious Flintoff stands with his arms aloft, back bent, fingers pointing skywards. An iconic post from Flintoff to conclude an iconic delivery.
You can watch that sensational over here:
https://twitter.com/mufaddal_vohra/status/1688081414267527168?s=20
Ricky Ponting’s reaction to Andrew Flintoff’s sensational over:
Best over I ever faced. Class reverse swing at 90odd mph! https://t.co/EUdN9P64Cr
— Ricky Ponting AO (@RickyPonting) April 10, 2020
