Flintoff’s Ashes

It was the narrowest margin of victory in all the 308 Ashes matches, pure agony to watch, and miracle of miracles, England bloody won it.

From the Guardian's report:

At the other end Lee was taking a pounding from Flintoff and Harmison of a kind that might, once upon a time, have created a diplomatic incident. Flintoff was brutal, totally uncompromising in pursuit of victory. Several times Lee was struck on the hand and he may require much ice treatment if he is to be fully fit for the third Test.

Once Flintoff, bowling faster than at any time in his life, hit him on the forearm with such ferocity that he threw down his bat as if shot, clutching his arm. The ground gasped at the prospect that he might have suffered a fracture. Each time he rose to fight on, an awesome display of courage in the face of the most savage bombardment that an England attack can have delivered.

Afterwards Flintoff was to pay tribute to a brave warrior. " I tried to bowl him out," he said, "and I tried to knock him out. I tried everything but he just kept coming back. He can be proud of what he did. He bowled great and he batted outstandingly. He is a champion." Hear, hear.



Yes, Lee showed terrific courage.

But after all those years of wincing as Mike Atherton and Nassar ‘Poppadom Fingers” Hussein stoically took a battering for Blighty, isn’t it a nice change that for once it’s us dishing out the poundings, and the Aussies fighting heroically...in a losing cause.