Ashes Fever

Ithadbeen18yearssinceEnglandhadlastwontheAshes.Sincethen,Australia,theirfiercestrivalsandtheworld'sbesttestteamthroughoutthistime,hadprevailed.ButthistimeEnglandwereonaroll.Theyhadbeenunbeatenfortwoyearsandhadacropofyoung,talentedplayers.Thattheserieswouldbecloserandmorecompetitivethanusualwasthegeneralview,butnoonecouldhavepredictedthatitwouldendsodramatically.AttheendofthefirsttestatLords,Englishoptimismhadnosedived.Australiaweresupposedtobeanageingteaminthetwilightoftheircareers,butGlennMcGrathdestroyedEngland'sbatsmen,saveforthenewkidontheblock,KevinPietersen.Yetatthesecondtest,Englandtookcommand,firstbattingwithcarefreeabandon,thensettingatargetthatlookedbeyondAustralia'scapabilitywhen,withjusttwowicketsleft,theystillneeded120runs.Onthelastdayofthesecondtest,Englandfinallywonbyjust2runs.Duringthistestmatchanewherowasborn.Andrew'Freddie'Flintoffscoredtwofifties,andwouldstaragainwiththeballinthethirdtestatOldTraffordwhich,onceagainendedinhighdrama.ThistimeEnglandneededjustonemorewickettowin.McGrathandBrettLeesurvivedthefinal24ballsasawatchingnationsatgripped.Unperturbed,EnglandmadenomistakeatTrentBridge,thistimewinninginfourdays,butevenheretherewasmorehighdrama.WhenAustraliawerebowledoutintheirsecondinnings,Englandneededonly129runstowin.Theygotthere,butlostsevenwicketsindoingso.Nowitwasofficial.ThisreallywasthegreatestAshesseriesofalltime.Nopreviousseriescouldmatchthisfordrama,tensionandexcitement.EnglandwenttotheOvalknowingthatadrawwouldbeenoughtotakehometheAshesafternineconsecutivedefeatstoAustralia.Theeyesofthesportingworldfellonacornerofsouth-eastLondontowatchthedramaunfold.AshesFeverrelivestheincrediblestoryofhowEnglandbroughtthebestcricketteamintheworlddownontheirknees.Ittellsofthetension,thetwiststhatshapedthisunforgettableseries.ItexplainsthecreationofnewEnglishsportingheroesandhowcricketbecamethemediafocalpoint.Illustratedby200photographs,itrelateshowoverthreemonthstheEnglandcricketteamcreatedhistoryinamannerthatisunlikelyevertoberepeated.