With two days to go before the first ball is bowled in anger, it's time for a little optimism. Andrew Hughes explains how England won the Ashes in 2005.

Attitude

Australia had dominated the cricket world and England in particular, for sixteen years. From the snarling tourists led by Alan Border in 1989, through the days of 'mental disintegration' under Steve Waugh, the Aussies had been used to bullying their way to success against the lily-livered Poms. Yet from the start, England played with uncharacteristic aggression. They attacked with the bat, with the ball and generally showed the Aussies no respect whatsoever. It was impertinence of the highest order and the visitors never really recovered from it.

A Slice of Luck (or two)

It would only be fair to admit that luck played its part. No human endeavour is likely to be free of the effects of random chance and in such a close series, luck tipped the balance. Indeed, at Edgbaston, sixteen years worth of bad fortune were erased in five days. First of all, Glen McGrath trod on a stray football and twisted his ankle. Then Ricky Ponting curiously decided to insert England on winning the toss. Finally, Michael Kasprowicz was incorrectly given out just three runs short of giving Australia a 2-0 series lead.

Kevin Pietersen

It may seem unfair to heap too much praise on one batsman, but Pietersen's impact went beyond the runs he scored. He was the final piece of the jigsaw, the player who turned a reasonably solid batting line-up into a dangerous one. A ready-made superstar, he contributed hugely to the aggressive cricket England were trying to play and by being an entirely un-English batsman and one they hadn't seen before, the Aussies had no plans to deal with him. Finally, at the Oval, with the Ashes still in the balance, it was Pietersen who had the courage and skill to seal the deal where the others had failed.

Duncan Fletcher

In recent years, it has become popular to downplay Fletcher's contribution to the Ashes triumph. He probably hung on a little too long and did appear to run out of steam in the post 2005 period. But none of the players who worked with him that summer have a bad word to say about him. With the aim of building a team capable of beating the best, he cut through the complacency and mediocrity of English cricket, bypassed the county system and moulded a squad based on potential and character. The Ashes triumph of 2005 was a testament to his foresight and hard work.

The Four Pacemen of the Apocalypse

For those of us who grew up watching a quartet of Caribbean fast bowlers demolish English batting line-ups, there was a particular thrill in witnessing a similarly rampant group of Englishmen dealing out some destruction of their own. Fletcher knew that England needed quick bowlers, not fast-medium journeymen, if they were to compete at international level. With the help of bowling coach Troy Cooley, he assembled the best pace attack seen on these shores since the war. Flintoff, Harmison, Hoggard and Jones were at the peak of their powers and the result was beautiful to watch. Unless you were Australian.

The Swing Thing

Swing has always been the thing in England, particularly against the Aussies who don't get much of it at home. Throughout the nineties, however, there had not been a swing-bowler of sufficient pace and skill to take advantage. In 2005, there were three. Matthew Hoggard was the king of conventional swing and used it to deadly effect in the opening overs. And for the first time, England had bowlers quick enough to produce consistent reverse swing. Andrew Flintoff and Simon Jones were able to get the ball reversing prodigiously and the Aussies were never allowed to rest.

Captain Calm

Keeping it all together was Michael Vaughan. Whereas his predecessor, Nasser Hussain had been a more aggressive, intense captain, hauling his team from ineptitude to competence, Vaughan was ideally suited to lead them to the higher echelons of the world rankings. His calm manner offered assurance at times when the game was in the balance and his instinctive tactical innovations were a feature of the series. He comprehensively out-captained Ponting and if he had been fit for the return series of 2006-07, England would surely not have disintegrated so hopelessly.

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