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#OTD in 2005: England won a cliffhanger by two runs against Australia 

image-l6j2rlzdEngland produced a Test cricket masterclass

On this day, seventeen years ago, England registered one of their most memorable Test victories by two runs against Australia at Birmingham. It was also the second closest margin of win in the red-ball cricket history. 

Ahead of this game, Australia were full of confidence after securing a dominating win by 239 runs in the first Test fixture. However, England produced a fighting comeback to level the series 1-1. 

England take a significant lead in first innings

Invited to bat first, Three Lions got off to a superb start from their openers Marcus Trescothick (90) and Andrew Strauss (48). 

In the middle-order, Kevin Pietersen (71) and Andrew Flintoff (68) further propelled the hosts to a strong score of 407 on the board. The pick of the bowlers for Australia was Shane Warne with four scalps. 

Then, the Australian team certainly showed promise at the start with impressive knocks from Justin Langer (82) and Ricky Ponting (61). However, only Adam Gilchrist (49*) and Michael Clarke (40) were the notable contributors in the middle order, as the visitors were dismissed for a score of 308. 

Flintoff and Ashley Giles took three wickets apiece to help England secure a 99-run lead in the first innings. 

England came back to secure a sensational victory

In the second innings, Warne produced his absolute best to take six wickets and restrict England for a score of 182. The all-rounder Flintoff was the top scorer for the home team with 73 runs, and England managed to set a target of 282 for the opposition. 

Afterwards, Flintoff brought back England in contest with his fiery spell, to dismiss Langer (28) and Ponting (0) in the same over. The likes of Steve Harmison and Giles supported the team with a couple of wickets. 

In the end, Lee remained unbeaten on a well-compiled 43 off 75 balls, and Michael Kasprowicz was the last one to fall for 20 off 31. 

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