The Hindu : Front Page : England regains the Ashes, at last

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Tuesday, Sep 13, 2005

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England regains the Ashes, at last

Ted Corbett

WHAT A FEELING: England team members celebrate their historic Ashes triumph at The Oval on Monday. Kevin Pietersen's timely 158 saw the home team hold on to a draw and clinch the series 2-1. The last time England won the Ashes was in the 1986-87 seas on in Australia. — Photo: AP

LONDON: England regained the Ashes after 16 years at the Oval on Monday when a first century by their new hero, Kevin Pietersen, enabled it to hold on for a draw in the fifth and final Test.

Pietersen made 158 out of an England total of 335. They began the day in danger of losing and looked as if they had lost the match and their best chance of winning back the Ashes when they lost five wickets for 127.

Afterwards Pietersen, born in South Africa 24 years ago, produced a murderous assault on Brett Lee, which virtually ended any hope Australia had of retaining the trophy they won in 1989 and which they defended successfully seven times since.

England began this series with a 239-run defeat at Lord's but after winning by two runs at Edgbaston, having much the better of a draw at Old Trafford and winning by three wickets at Trent Bridge they discovered that the nation was ignoring Premiership football to ask about the Ashes, that tickets for the sell-out Tests were bringing £1,000 on the black market and that their all rounder Andrew `Freddie' Flintoff had been turned into a sporting icon to match footballers David Beckham and Wayne Rooney.

The team will tour central London in an open top bus tomorrow and, on the 200th anniversary of the battle of Trafalgar, drive past Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square.

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