By Chris Devine
Edgbaston and Trent Bridge were the venues for home Ashes Test victories in the memorable summer of 2005, yet Simon Jones believes the significance of events on the final day at Old Trafford should not be underestimated.
In a third Test sandwiched between the nailbiting wins in Birmingham and Nottingham, Michael Vaughan’s men fell agonisingly short of victory when Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee followed up Ricky Ponting’s magnificent 156 by batting out the final four overs of the game.
Having been unable to press home their advantage, England could have been forgiven for feeling downbeat as they prepared to head to the East Midlands with the series locked at 1-1.
Instead, inspiration was derived from the sight of Australia’s star-studded team celebrating their draw in fervent fashion.
McGrath and Lee’s on-field exhibition of joy after the final ball was matched only by the scenes on the Australian team balcony, which spoke volumes for the new-found threat posed by opponents beaten in the previous eight Ashes rubbers.
As far as Jones and England were concerned, Australia had shown their vulnerability.
Speaking exclusively to ecb.co.uk ahead of this week’s third Investec Test against Australia in Manchester, the seamer, now 34, said: “It was the most unreal thing I’ve ever seen.
“They were a team of legends and to see them jumping up and down like five-year-olds was a huge bonus for us, because we knew we had them on the hop. We knew we were the better cricketing team.”
Australia’s apparent glee at remaining level ensured Jones and Co did not dwell on their failure to close out victory at Old Trafford.
A three-wicket win at Trent Bridge was duly secured before England completed long-awaited Ashes glory by drawing the final Test at The Oval.
Elaborating on the mood at the end of the third Test, Jones added: “They (Australia) felt they were still in it and had a chance, but we said just look at them – they’re jumping up and down because they’ve drawn the game and we can take all this into Trent Bridge and hit them hard again.
“They were in a worrying period because this had never happened to them before. Nobody had ever stood up to them because they were a team that would impose themselves on people and get in people’s faces.
“In the past we had gone up against these guys and had mental scarring, and they had really intimidated world-class performers before they played us, so for us to have this one over on them was huge.”
Having picked up seven of England’s 19 wickets at Old Trafford, Jones – displaying the form of his career – went on to prove similarly destructive in the fourth Test when returning first-innings figures of 5-44.
Sadly, the skiddy paceman would never represent his country again due to injury, yet he retains fond memories of his final outings at international level.
“The hype was enormous and the fact that 10,000 got turned away on the fifth day (at Old Trafford) was unreal and showed the impact that summer had on the nation,” he added.
“It’s nice that people remind me of the things I did well in 2005. I just think it was something that will stay in my memory forever.”