Ashes series from 2005 and 2019 showing parallels

Separated by 14 years and 124 miles (that's 200 kilometres, as the English will know if this Brexit thing fails) they may have been, but the parallels were uncanny.

The player of the series thus far wiped out by a freak injury sustained from an errant ball, a seemingly doomed fourth-innings run chase starring tenacious tail-enders, a lead role from an all-rounder resembling a bricklayer who strayed into the home dressing room, a Tasmanian captain desperate to beat the oldest of enemies, England levelling the series amid unprecedented drama, a superfluous fifth day, Shane Warne being erratic and unpredictable ...

The list goes on.

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But the similarities stretch way beyond the boundary ropes in Birmingham and Leeds.

Far from two Tests being comparable, two entire series appear to be following similar scripts which bodes well for those that enjoy thrilling storylines.

In 2019, as in 2005, Australia cantered to victory in the opening Test. In both series the next two matches produced a rain-affected draw secured by a dogged innings from the team's batting talisman and an English equaliser from the narrowest of angles.

Looking back on the 2005 series is not a demanding exercise. It was, unquestionably, the most exciting Test series in my lifetime. Until now.

In a nutshell, Australia won the opener at Lord's by 239 runs, despite being bowled out for just 190 in their first innings. Glenn McGrath hauled them back into the contest, dismissing five of the hosts' top six for single figures.

But when McGrath stood on a misplaced ball during a pre-match game of rugby and Ricky Ponting still chose to bowl first at Edgbaston, the second Test swung towards the hosts who eventually won it by just two runs despite the gallant last-day efforts of Warne, Brett Lee and Michael Kasprowicz.

England were one wicket away from victory in the Third Test at Old Trafford which was eventually drawn and forever remembered for Ponting's career-defining match-saving seven-hour innings of 156.

The hosts went 2-1 up at Trent Bridge despite Lee and Warne threatening to pull off the unthinkable and reclaimed the urn after eight straight losses with another rain-affected draw at the Oval in which Kevin Pietersen made 158 after being dropped on 15 by his Hampshire captain Warne.

Five of the next six series were won by the host nation - most quite comfortably - until both parties turned up in Birmingham on August 1 this year.

Australia's winning margin of 251 runs in the series opener was only a dozen different from 2005 as Nathan Lyon stepped in to Warne's shoes with a six-wicket second-innings haul.

After contributions of 144 and 142, Steve Smith added 92 in the Second Test at Lord's but, like First Test hero McGrath 14 years earlier, was felled by a ball he didn't see coming and was destined to miss the match in which England leveled the series.

Edgbaston to Headingley is a fairly dull journey involving the M6, M42, M1 and M62 motorways.

However, the two historic, traditional and unashamedly parochial venues themselves are anything but dull.

Their contributions to the 2005 and 2019 Ashes contests featured conclusions of unscriptable drama.

At the start of the final day's play in 2005, Australia was on 175-8, needing just over 100 runs to win.

Fourteen years later, England was 156-3, needing just over 200 runs to win.

Neither batting side was given much hope.

Ultimately, England won both as Australia fell two runs short in the former and one wicket short in the latter.

The Age's columnist Greg Baum perhaps summed it up best after Sunday's climax with the observation: "We can all die happy now - cricket doesn't get any better than this."

Sadly, he's probably right. But nobody is going to stop watching just yet, in the unrealistic hope that he's wrong.

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