Product Description

The 2005 Ashes series was the most eagerly anticipated for decades. Not since 1989 had the famous urn left the hands of the all-conquering Australians, and with England in the ascendant after a string of Test successes, hopes were high that the balance of power in world cricket would at last shift. The series did not disappoint. From the rip-roaring first day at Lord's, with seventeen wickets falling, it was clear we were in for something special. Although the visitors went on to win that match England bounced back with a spectacular win at Edgbaston, and further nailbiting finishes followed at Old Trafford, Trent Bridge and The Oval. In this sparkling account of an amazing summer, England's coach Duncan Fletcher reveals the strategies, the stresses and successes of one of the greatest series in the history of the game.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #295105 in Books
• Published on: 2006-04-03
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

From the Inside Flap
The biggest sporting story of 2005 represented a personal triumph for one of the most private yet effective people in British sport. As coach of the England cricket team since 1999, Duncan Fletcher has overseen a renaissance in the fortunes not just of the team but of the sport itself, culminating in England’s brilliant victory over Australia in the 2005 Ashes.

Widely acclaimed as the greatest Test series in the history of the game, this five-match contest thrilled the nation with its rollercoaster swings of fortune and nailbiting finishes, as England came back from losing the first match at Lord’s to take the series 2–1 and regain the famous urn for the first time since 1985. In the furnace of these epic encounters heroes were forged: Andrew Flintoff, the once-raw all-rounder who established himself as one of the world’s greats; Michael Vaughan, whose captaincy was surefooted even when runs were scarce; Kevin Pietersen, who ended up as the series’ top scorer and whose 158 at The Oval steered England to victory; and for Australia Shane Warne and Brett Lee were magnificent with both ball and bat, often putting their colleagues higher up the order to shame.

But behind England’s success lay hard work and subtle strategy, as Fletcher and his staff analysed minutely the strengths and weaknesses of this great Australian side and worked out how to target individual batsmen. Bowlers’ line, length and speed all combined with highly specific field placings to create the most propitious circumstances for taking wickets, and hours of practice in the nets against a spin-bowling machine helped prepare England’s batsmen for the rigours of facing Warne.

In Ashes Regained Duncan Fletcher reveals the coach’s story of England’s amazing summer – not just a unique dressing-room view of the stresses and successes of the series, but a fascinating insight into Fletcher’s character. Forthright and candid, and with full statistical appendices, Ashes Regained is a sparkling souvenir of a spellbinding summer of cricket.

£12.99

About the Author
DUNCAN FLETCHER took over as England coach in 1999, when the team was at its nadir. Since then he has guided the side to second in the world rankings and six successive series wins up to and including the 2005 Ashes. When not touring with England, he lives with his wife Marina in South Africa. They have a son, Michael, and a daughter, Nicola.

His co-writer, STEVE JAMES, captained Glamorgan and won two caps for England. He retired from the game in 2004 with a first-class average of over 40, and his 309 not out in 2000 is the highest individual score in Glamorgan’s history. He has written an autobiography, Third Man to Fatty’s Leg, and now writes on cricket and rugby for the Sunday Telegraph and the Guardian.