June 5-8, 1998 at Edgbaston. England beat Australia by 9 wickets.
http://www.espncricinfo.com/series/1605 ... tland-1997From the poisonous heart of the David Lloyd years comes one of England's most memorable and gratifying wins. And while not in the same league as Gooch's miraculous triumph in Jamaica, it is one of the least expected. This was the era when England only won dead Ashes rubbers at the summation of heartbreaking examinations of their inferiority. And there was still time in 1997 for England to win another dead Test at the Oval, such was the ferocity of the Australian retaliation to this defeat. Yet, the sheer joy and astonishment of England's opening Test Ashes win of 1998 remains a potent if guilty pleasure.
In spite of their recent struggles, in 1997 it felt possible to believe that England might still have a good side if only they could all be got out into the middle. Which they mostly did in Birmingham. Darren Gough and Andy Caddick had the ball and Graham Thorpe was in favour. You might baulk at Mark Ealham, but hell, he made an unbeaten fifty in England's first innings, and took three wickets in Australia's second.
England had won 2-0 in New Zealand that winter with Mike Atherton and Gough rampant but there was no real feeling that this time the Ashes were going to be different. Yet England tore the throat out of the Australian upper order on the first morning with a vivacity and ferocity that was thrilling. Gough, Caddick and Devon Malcolm had Australia 54-8. And of course there was a recovery of sorts as there always was with Australia. Shane Warne made 47 at number nine, in a portent of his tenacity which would be written all over the thriller of 2005. Gough in particular was superb, very much at the epitome of his pugnacious cliche, all cheeky, oafish aggression with a huge talent for swinging the ball late away from the bat, and unforgivably overweight. Caddick had the best figures of 5-50, but it's Gough that I remember that first day for, taking two overs to get to full speed like an old steam train struggling uphill, then three overs of cruising magnificently, blowing abundant black smoke all over Edgbaston before prematurely running out of puff and allowing Warne to dig in.
Australia were gone inside 32 overs for their 118, the second highest score being Mike Kasprowicz's 17. Of course, no one expected the English batters to maintain the advantage their bowlers had wrought. And again we were nonplussed. From 50-3, Nasser Hussain and Thorpe added 288 runs for the fourth wicket. For those too young to remember, it felt pertinent to imagine that this is how it might have looked to see Peter May and Colin Cowdrey bat on a flat pitch on a sunny day in the 1950s. Or possibly even like watching the Waughs bat. They were untouchable. They have played quite a few gutsier innings, but maybe none of such commanding ease. It wasn't supposed to be possible against the tormenting mystery of Shane Warne.
England reached stumps on day one at 200-3, having dismissed the tourists for 118. It was a great opening to the series and the next morning a wonderful time to scrutinise the national press. Of course the Aussies resisted in their second innings with tons for Mark Taylor and Greg Blewitt, but there has to be a little to chew on in a truly sumptuous Test win, and once Taylor went with the score on 327-2, the rest of the batting made way for a further 155 runs leaving only 118 to chase on day four. Which Atherton and Stewart knocked off at five an over.
Of course it was a false dawn, but hindsight offers it as a brief premonition of the glory of 2005. And this was probably a better Australian side. England drew at Lord's, meaning they went into the third Test 1-0 to the good. Which frankly sounds like I've made it up. But then were beaten heavily in Manchester, Leeds and Nottingham, setting up England's dead rubber bounce at the Oval. By Headingley, Andy Smith was in for Andy Caddick and by Trent Bridge, Gough was injured again. Peter Martin bowled at the Oval and Mark Ramprakash was back and the dream was over for another two years. But for a few weeks at least in 1997, maybe a little piece of grit impaired the usual clarity of Steve Waugh's imperious thousand yard stare. And for that brief, transitory, possibly notional relief, I remain thankful.
I always say that everybody's right.